Hong Kong tourists, residents removed bird flu drug off shelves

Tami flu, manufactured by Switzerland's Roche Ag, has been singled out by the World Health Organization as its drug of choice to protect against bird flu and in case of a human flu pandemic.
"This drug is really selling well. Lots of Hong Kong people and mainland Chinese tourists are buying and demand goes up whenever there is news about bird flu," said Tony Tang, an assistant at a drug store in the New Territories.
The H5N1 virus has killed at least 42 people in Asia in the last year, including 30 in Vietnam. Most of the victims were believed to have caught the virus from infected poultry but doctors fear it could change into one that is easily passed between people, unleashing a global deadly disease that could kill millions as early as this winter. There is as yet no evidence that it can transform in this way.
Tami flu is a prescription drug in Hong Kong but a random survey found that it was easily available over the counter in many areas, with no questions asked.
"The instructions are all inside," said Tang, holding out a white box with a red "poison" warning label on the back.
Doctors have warned people against buying Tami flu over the counter, saying it could lead to misuse which would render the drug less effective or make the virus even deadlier. "If you use it for just a common cold, you will become resistant to the drug (when you really need it)," David Hui, a professor of medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said on Friday. There is as yet no tailored vaccine to prevent the H5N1 virus, which kills up to 80% of the people it infects.
But Tami flu, a drug used to fight type A and B influenza, has been effective so far against H5N1 and experts say it should work at least for the time being, as a last line of defense. "If there is a very huge mutation (in the virus) we can't predict if it will work. But we can't see for now any major change in the viral structure," Hui said.Hui is on a panel advising the government on emerging diseases such as H5N1.
A course of Tami flu consists of 10 capsules and sells for HK$200 ($26), but those who are stocking up say it is worth the price."I'm worried the Hong Kong government won't respond quickly enough or take tough enough measures to prevent a mass outbreak," said one foreign resident who rushed to buy supplies for his family after word of the latest deaths.
"Doctors and hospitals could be completely overwhelmed ... it might be hard to get medical aid," he said. The Hong Kong government plans to store 3.7 million Tami flu capsules by this summer, but that will be only enough for a little more than 5% of its 7 million populations. Those deemed most at risk, such as children and the elderly, will get the drug first.
Public fears mounted after media reports that Chinese exports of geese and ducks to Hong Kong had dropped sharply in recently weeks. China said it was due to stronger demand on the mainland, but many Hong Kong residents were not convinced.