South Korea's Health Watchdog Reports No Hallucination Cases from Tamiflu

South Korea's health watchdog has stated that it has received no information indicating that patients exhibit side effects such as hallucinations that might lead to suicide from the antiviral drug Tamiflu. The Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) reported 17 cases of side effects since the drug's introduction in June 2000, but found no cases of abnormal behavior, including delusions or mental disease. The KFDA has decided to consider listing such symptoms as possible side effects of the drug, despite Japanese media reports of two teenagers' deaths linked to the medication. South Korea has imported 5.8 million capsules of Tamiflu since 2004 to stockpile the drug in case of a bird flu breakout.

Key Takeaways:

• The Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA) has received 17 reports of side effects from Tamiflu since its introduction in 2000.
• No cases of abnormal behavior, including delusions or mental disease, have been found among patients who took the drug.
• The KFDA has decided to consider listing hallucinations and other abnormal behavior as possible side effects of Tamiflu.
• Two Japanese teenagers reportedly died after taking Tamiflu due to alleged abnormal behavior.
• South Korea has imported 5.8 million capsules of Tamiflu since 2004 to stockpile the drug against bird flu.
• Tamiflu is used to inhibit the growth of the flu virus in humans and has been in high demand following reports of its effectiveness against bird flu.

Statistics:

• 17 cases of side effects reported from Tamiflu since its introduction in 2000.
• 5.8 million capsules of Tamiflu imported by South Korea since 2004.
• June 2000: The date when Tamiflu was first introduced to the market in South Korea.

Sources:

• Yonhap
• Korean Food and Drug Administration