A medicine stockpiled by the Department of Health to hand out to millions of Britons during a flu pandemic may not even work, MPs warn. Some £424million has been spent on supplies of Tamiflu since 2006, yet there is no clear evidence available that it is effective. A flu pandemic, which relates to an epidemic crossing a large geographical area, is considered by the Government to be a far deadlier risk to Britons than a terrorism attack or weather catastrophe. However, we may have little protection against it.
A report by MPs on the Public Accounts Committee accuses NHS watchdogs of not demanding enough evidence from drugs firms on the safety of their products before allowing them to be used by British patients. NICE decides which drugs are used on the NHS and the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approves them for public and private use. The MPs' report accuses both of just 'taking manufacturers' word for it' that drugs work. If that is the case, millions of patients could be taking medicines which are ineffective and may have potentially dangerous side-effects.
