by Louise Durack

The government's move to restrict Tamiflu prescriptions to the most high risk patients has been welcomed by the AMA, which says that a national roll out of free antivirals may become 'inevitable' as the swine flu virus continues to spread.  

Following the World Health Organisation announcement yesterday of a global influenza pandemic, health minister Nicola Roxon said the stockpile would be prioritised for the elderly, morbidly obese and those with respiratory conditions or other complications, due to swine flu being less severe than first thought.  

The government is believed to be meeting again today to further discuss how to best distribute the antiviral stockpile.  

AMA President Andrew Pesce told 6minutes: “It’s important that a distinction regarding who gets Tamiflu is made according to clinical need and this continues to be at the discretion of GPs. Whether supplies are readily available or not is another matter.”  

Last week, drug manufacturer Roche said that it had temporarily run out of the pediatric form of Tamiflu due to unprecedented demand.  

Ms Roxon yesterday maintained that supply issues are “being processed” with supplies “able to be released if and when required”.  

The drug is also set to be handed out free and without prescription to close contacts of swine flu sufferers in some areas of Victoria that have high numbers of cases.  

Dr Pesce said: “Rolling this idea out nationally to the other states will probably be inevitable, as it’s obvious we can no longer contain the spread of this illness.” In the past week, the number of cases in Australia has risen to over 1,300.