MINNEAPOLIS, April 28, 2008—The federal government is going to have to expand its stockpile of antiviral drugs if the goal is to have enough doses to treat all patients and provide preventive treatment for some others at risk in an influenza pandemic.

This was the conclusion of an Institute of Medicine report issued Friday.

An IOM committee of experts asserts that the government needs to clarify its goals concerning antiviral use in a pandemic, because current planning documents are fuzzy on prophylactic use of the drugs.

The nation currently has about 71 million treatment courses of antivirals in federal and state stockpiles, with a goal of 81 million courses, the report says.

But in a pandemic, it might take twice that much, or more, to treat sick patients and offer preventive doses to people at risk for exposure on the job, the report says.

In other key recommendations, the IOM report says the Department of Health and Human Services should develop a prioritization plan for antiviral treatment and prophylaxis in a pandemic, similar to the existing program for pandemic flu vaccine allocation.

It also suggested that the Shelf-Life Extension Program (SLEP) for antivirals in the federal stockpile—which extends the official shelf life for oseltamivir (Tamiflu) by 2 years—be expanded to include state andprivate-sector antiviral stockpiles.

CIDRAP News