Tennessee Department of Health urges increased vigilance to prevent Flu and Flu Complications

Nashville, TN – The Tennessee Department of Health is urging all Tennesseans to increase their vigilance to prevent flu and flu-related health threats by getting immunized and talking with their healthcare providers about flu-like symptoms.

Since 2007 there have been 29 pediatric flu-related deaths recorded in Tennessee, including three in December of this year.

[Read more]

FDA Warns About Fraudulent Tamiflu

Fraudulent product is dangerous to patients allergic to penicillin

Silver Spring, MD — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers about a potentially harmful product represented as “Generic Tamiflu” sold over the Internet. FDA tests revealed that the fraudulent product does not contain Tamiflu’s active ingredient, oseltamivir, but cloxacillin, an ingredient in the same class of antibiotics as penicillin.

The agency reminds patients who are allergic to or may have experienced adverse reactions from penicillin products that they are at risk of experiencing similar reactions from cloxacillin. This includes a sudden, potentially life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis, with symptoms that include difficulty breathing, chest tightness, swelling of the throat or tongue, hives, dizziness, loss of consciousness, or a rapid or weak pulse. To date, the FDA is not aware of any reports of adverse reactions.

There is no FDA-approved generic drug for the prescription product Tamiflu. [Read more]