Japan's Tamiflu warning for teens sparks row

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government warning that bird flu drug Tamiflu should not be given to teenagers sparked a clash of opinions on Thursday, with some calling it too late and others saying the drug's benefits outweighed possible risks.

The Health Ministry said on Wednesday it had told importers of Tamiflu to warn doctors not to prescribe it to those aged 10 to 19, after two new reports of young people injured by jumping from buildings after taking the drug.

"Again the Health Ministry drags its feet" read a headline in the conservative Sankei newspaper, referring to a scandal over a past failure to stop the import of HIV-infected blood products.

"Why won't they move until people are injured or die?" the Sankei quoted the parent of one teenage victim as asking.

The ministry's top official told a news conference it would carry out a detailed investigation into the cases of abnormal behavior, adding that depending on the outcome, the ministry may change its current position that there is no link between the drug and psychiatric problems.

Tamiflu, manufactured by Roche Holding AG of Switzerland, is seen as one of the main drugs effective against a possible pandemic sparked by bird flu, which has killed at least 169 people around the world since 2003.

Japanese government figures show 54 people have died after taking the drug and a new summary released on Wednesday said 15 people aged 10 to 19 have jumped from buildings, while another who was taking Tamiflu jumped in front of a truck and was killed.

Five young people have died in such incidents since 2004, sparking fears that the drug may induce psychiatric problems.

Roche said earlier this week that new studies from Japan and the United States showed there was no established causal link between psychiatric problems and Tamiflu.

The firm argues that influenza can itself cause psychiatric symptoms such as hallucinations.

"At long last they have taken action, but it is extremely slow and half-hearted," Rokuro Hama, a doctor who runs a watchdog group on side effects of drugs, said in a telephone interview.

RESEARCH DOUBTS

Hama says there should be similar warnings against the use of Tamiflu for all age groups, because influenza is essentially a minor disease that need not be treated with drugs.

Haruhiko Nokiba, the father of the youth killed in the truck accident, told the Sankei: "The fact that a series of victims has emerged is due to the negligence of the ministry. Just as with previous drug problems, they are dealing with it too late."

The ministry had previously warned that children taking Tamiflu should be supervised and has maintained the warning for younger children, who are seen more at risk of dying from flu. In the new warning it recommends that those aged 10-19 should not be given the drug at all.

Media reports said last week the drug's Japanese distributor, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., had donated 10 million yen ($85,000) to a university department headed by Shumpei Yokota, whose studies deny a causal relationship between Tamiflu and dangerous behavior.

The university has said the funds would have no impact on research results, Kyodo news agency reported.

Despite the doubts, one expert said Japan should continue to accumulate supplies for emergency purposes.

"There are predictions of massive infection in the near future, and in this case its effectiveness far outweighs the risks," an official at Japan's Infectious Disease Surveillance Center told the Mainichi newspaper.

"I don't think there is any need for the government to change its policy of stockpiling the drug."

(Additional reporting by George Nishiyama)

($1=117.51 Yen)