Hanoi: Tamiflu “sold out”

“Customers are flocking to buy, but even at 1 million VND per box of 10 pills, there is nothing available for sale,” pharmacy owners lament. Those with stock are freely charging “sky-high” prices.

Sky-High Prices, Yet High Demand

In recent days, Ngoc Khanh Pharmaceutical Center has not been able to find a box of Tamiflu.

At 10 AM on November 1, a reporter visited Pharmacy No. 1 (8 Ngoc Khanh Street) to inquire about Tamiflu. The staff informed: “The store ran out long ago. A few days ago, there were a few boxes left, but they were expensive, 430,000 VND per box (10 pills). Would you like me to call and check if there are any left?”. Five minutes later, the salesperson returned to inform: “We are out of stock now. Come back in a few days to see if we have any.”

Determined to find a box of Tamiflu, we made a complete round of Ngoc Khanh Pharmaceutical Center, leaving no store unchecked. We always received the same response: “Out of stock.”

Many people are seeking Tamiflu at Ngoc Khanh Pharmaceutical Center but cannot find it.

A glimmer of hope appeared when a staff member at Pharmacy No. 2 of Ngoc Khanh Pharmaceutical Center said: “It seems there is one box left, priced at 450,000 VND per box (10 pills).” However, when she went to check the stock, it was gone; the last box had been sold by the afternoon shift yesterday.

Seeing us hesitate, she suggested: “There is no Tamiflu left on this street. You should check Pharmacy Phuong at 71 Quoc Tu Giam and see.”

At Quoc Tu Giam Street, the salesperson was eager: “Tamiflu? We have it, 1 million VND per box (10 pills), but are you inquiring or actually buying?” When asked about buying a large quantity for an organization, he laughed: “There isn’t that much available. If you truly want to buy, the store has 2 boxes left, priced at 800,000 VND.” Explaining the “sky-high” prices, he stated: “The supply is tight, and many people are looking to buy, driving the prices up. It’s expensive, yet there’s still nothing available.”

At Pharmacy 50A Quan Su, Tamiflu is still available for sale, but at a price 60,000 VND higher per box.

Pharmacy 50A Quan Su still has stock, but at a “sky-high” price: 460,000 VND per box.

Along this street, near K Hospital, some stores also reported limited Tamiflu availability. Prices also soared, ranging from 460,000 to 500,000 VND per box (10 pills).

Small retailers on other streets indicated that Tamiflu is a national reserve medication and cannot be sold on the market.

”Tamiflu Will Be Distributed for Free When Necessary”

According to expert warnings, the worst-case scenario of a pandemic could occur as early as next December. The Ministry of Health in Vietnam has outlined a hypothetical situation where, if the virus spreads from person to person, approximately 10% of the population (8.2 million people) would be infected with the flu, of which 1% of the population (around 820,000 people) could die. The potential outbreak of the H5N1 virus poses a global threat to human life.

Currently, the H5N1 vaccine is still under research by scientists, and the most effective preventive medication remains Tamiflu. In September 2005, the Ministry of Health received support from Taiwan’s Ministry of Health with 600,000 Tamiflu pills. This stock is currently stored at the Central Medical Equipment Company No. 1. The Ministry of Health is planning to import an additional 400,000 Tamiflu pills.

Dr. Cao Minh Quang, Director of the Drug Administration (Ministry of Health), stated: ”The department is negotiating with Roche for licensing, providing raw materials and production processes so that Vietnam can start producing Tamiflu by Q4 2005. At this moment, the most important task is to establish a specific Tamiflu stockpiling plan to proactively determine the amount of medication needed for production, balancing imported and locally produced stock. Three pharmaceutical companies located in the three regions will be responsible for ensuring the quality of the medication equivalent to the original”.

In light of the Tamiflu shortage, Deputy Minister of Health Trinh Quan Huan confirmed: ”In the event of an outbreak, the stock will be transferred to central healthcare facilities for patient treatment. Tamiflu is only an antibiotic and has a limited shelf life. When infected, patients will receive Tamiflu for free for treatment. Users of Tamiflu will see its effects within 48 hours after infection. Using multiple antiviral medications can lead to drug resistance.”