| According to officials, it is not a question
of “if” the avian flu virus will mutate but “when?”
On March 1st, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued their recommendation to control the virus with
a particular focus on children, the main carrier of the flu.
To this end, the US government is procuring millions of doses
of Tamiflu® as its first line of defense. However, the
pediatric version of this drug has an extremely bitter taste
making it not only difficult for children to swallow but to
keep down. In response, specialty pharma FLAVORx, Inc has
developed four flavors to mask the bitterness and ensure 100%
compliance.
 Bethesda,
MD. (PRWEB) March 2, 2006 - FLAVORx, Inc has recently
concluded testing on its proprietary taste-masking agents
in liquid antiviral medications such as Tamiflu®. Combining
these flavoring agents with antivirals will safely alleviate
the medication’s existing bitter, unpleasant taste and
ensure medicinal adherence for children in the event of an
avian flu pandemic. The International Association of Medicinal
Compliance (IAMC), a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated
to creating a healthier world through taking medication properly,
recognizes the widespread impact on public health as a result
of infectious spread in children. Accordingly, a necessity
for palatable medication exists not only to eliminate difficulties
in swallowing medicines, but more importantly to ensure effectiveness
and proper dosing to control the spread of a deadly virus.
The IAMC is currently reaching out to government officials
to resolve these concerns. To date, the avian flu has rapidly
spread across Asia, into Africa and Europe, with seven European
countries seeing outbreaks of the virus in birds. With this
type of spread the question is not ‘if’ the avian
flu will reach the U.S., but ‘when’. Therefore,
state and federal government leaders now realize the sense
of urgency in planning for a pandemic outbreak and will partner
with companies such as FLAVORx to ensure the nation’s
preparedness.
On March 1, 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) issued their recommendation that should the bird flu
mutate and affect human beings, spread among American children
should be controlled, because viruses are spread through sneezing,
coughing and contact, all of which occur with high frequency
among children. Several cases of well-documented research
support this advisory. In a 1957 flu outbreak in England,
over 50% of cases were reported in children. Although many
infections occurred in June of that year, the pandemic was
not triggered until September, when children returned to school.
Additionally, when Japan implemented a flu-control policy
derived on the sole vaccination of children, results were
markedly similar. During the time of this policy, deaths from
pneumonia and flu decreased by numbers of 10,000-12,000 per
year, and thus as reported by the New England Journal of Medicine,
controlling the spread of flu in children protects the entire
population, including the elderly.
As there is currently no approved vaccine in the marketplace,
the US government is procuring millions of doses of Tamiflu®
as its first line of defense in the event of an avian flu
pandemic. The liquid version of this drug will be used to
treat children who are not old enough (infants to approximately
8- years old) or have difficulty swallowing pills. The issue
of non-compliance among children could prove highly detrimental
to all of society. Taking a medication improperly or not completing
a full regimen leads to a reduction in symptoms, but does
not lead to eradication of an illness. While seemingly inconsequential,
not fully ridding the body of infection could lead to children
and adults returning to school or the workplace symptom-free
but still as viral carriers. Thus the virus will not be completely
contained and infection will continue to spread, likely with
a more virulent strain that has become partially resistant
to a drug’s effects, and rendering the original drug
and the nation’s only avian pandemic solution, ineffective.
A child’s sense of taste differs vastly from that of
an adult. With 10,000 taste buds that rejuvenate themselves
every three days (elderly adults have approximately 300 taste
buds), children are much more sensitive to bitterness, and
therefore unable to tolerate acrid tasting liquid medications
that are unpleasant to them. FLAVORx, a company that specializes
in taste-masking, has expressly developed four formulations
to cover the bitter taste of Tamiflu®, which would prove
life-saving in the event of an avian flu outbreak. These formulations
have been rigorously tested for safety and stability to ensure
that their addition does not affect the medication’s
benefits. Furthermore, studies show that medicinal compliance,
and a child’s willingness to accept and take medication
properly, increased from 53% with the unflavored medication
to over 97% with the addition of the medicinal flavoring.
Currently members of Congress such as Congressman Chris Van
Hollen are urging states to stockpile pre-formulated FLAVORx
flavor packets to be distributed with antiviral medications
to ensure safety for the nation’s citizens. According
to Van Hollen, “The availability of antivirals, however,
will only be effective if flu victims use them in the appropriate
manner and doses.” Van Hollen further adds, “While
we all agree that parents have a responsibility to ensure
that their children take the required flu doses, pharmacists
and others have noted that it can be virtually impossible
to get some children to take very bitter medicine. It seems
any comprehensive avian flu plan should anticipate this problem
and address it appropriately.”
To participate and view the latest results on American’s
public take on government avian flu preparedness click on
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=836251835358.
For more information, please contact Gunjan Koul
at 240.223.0949.
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