Switzerland to cut Tamiflu stockpile to quarter of current size

Switzerland plans to reduce its stockpile of Tamiflu to about one quarter of its current size, SRF reports. Millions of unused capsules must be destroyed as existing batches expire.

The country built large reserves of the antiviral drug oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu, more than 10 years ago in preparation for potential pandemics. The legally required stockpile consists of 200 pallets, or about 3,900 shipping boxes. At normal consumption levels, that supply would last 100 years.

The stockpile was originally designed for Tamiflu to be distributed preventively across the population. That did not happen during the coronavirus pandemic. The drug must also be taken at the start of an illness because it can prevent the virus from spreading through the body.

The Federal Office of Public Health told SRF that a reassessment had found the required stockpile could be reduced to about a quarter of its previous size. The exact quantity and forms of the medicine will be determined after further reviews.

In future, Tamiflu is expected to be reserved for hospitalised patients and people with an increased risk of complications.

The cost of destroying the medicines remains unclear. Helvecura, the organisation responsible for coordinating mandatory stockpiles, expects the bill to be high. It is also unresolved who should finance the special stockpile. The Swiss government and Helvecura have confirmed the dispute.

In 2005, the Federal Council instructed the economic and interior departments to settle the issue. No decision has yet been reached.

Helvecura President Peter Huber described the costs as an investment in security, comparable to an insurance premium. If the government orders pharmaceutical companies to maintain such stocks, he said, the government should also pay for them.

The government does not consider the stockpile a priority but describes it as a special case created for a rare pandemic that could nevertheless affect supplies.

For essential medicines, pharmaceutical companies are required to maintain mandatory stocks sufficient to cover three to four months in the event of a supply shortage or interruption. These stocks include strong painkillers, vaccines, antibiotics and infusion solutions. Supply shortages and interruptions have become more common worldwide in recent years.