EBay stops Tamiflu sale on Web as drug price soars
Internet auction site eBay pulled the sale of Roche Holding AG’s flu drug Tamiflu from its Web site on Tuesday, after prices topped 100 pounds on growing fears about the spread of bird flu.
A spokeswoman for eBay said the auction had been stopped because the sale of prescription drugs was not allowed under the company’s rules.
Europe has seen a surge in demand for Tamiflu on the Internet, following the confirmation of cases of avian flu in Turkey, Romania and Greece.
Bids for a single course of treatment, comprising 10 capsules, had reached 104 pounds by midday on Thursday before the auction was canceled. Some 28 bids were received for the drug, which was advertised as located in Birmingham, central England.
Swiss drug maker Roche urged consumers earlier this month not to buy Tamiflu over the Internet to avoid the risk of purchasing potentially counterfeit pills but to get advice from their doctor and pick the drug up from a reputable pharmacy.
Private prescriptions for Tamiflu cost the equivalent of 25-30 pounds around Europe but national governments have purchased stockpiles of the medicine for considerably less.
Panic demand, however, means supplies are increasingly hard to come by.
Tamiflu can reduce the severity of influenza and may prevent infection if given at the right time. It is the most popular of several drugs recommended by the World Health Organization for stockpiling in preparation for a possible bird flu pandemic.
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