New supplies of Tamiflu for UAE pharmacies will arrive at the end of this month although the quantity of the shipment is uncertain, said a spokesperson for the company which imports the antiviral drug.
Tamiflu or oseltamivir, manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals, is considered the best treatment for people infected by the virulent H5N1 strain of avian flu. Relenza, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, has also had success in treating the disease.
The UAE is currently free of avian flu though the government is taking measures to handle an outbreak.
A spokesperson for Al Razi Pharmacy, the agent which imports Roche drugs, told Gulf News that the medicine was "definitely coming".
"We don't know how much because the company is running out of stock," he said.
"Hopefully it will be enough," he added.
He said Roche's focus on meeting large orders from governments has made it a problem for private pharmacies to get their own supplies.
Pharmacies report that consumers have been calling them repeatedly to ask when Tamiflu will be available.
Tamiflu, sold in boxes of 10 tablets for Dh168, has been sold out in pharmacies for months due to public fears of bird flu. Each box contains enough tablets for a full course of treatment.
"We've received a lot of inquiries about Tamiflu," said Mohammad Akram of Burjuman Pharmacy.
He added that he had placed an order with the agent since August.
Ravindra Kumar, store manager and purchaser for the Life Healthcare Group pharmacy chain, told Gulf News that they were thinking of limiting the amount of Tamiflu that a person could buy.
"Depending on demand and how easily we can get new stock, we may have to limit sales to one box per person," said Kumar.
He added that the pharmacies in the group might also require consumers to produce a prescription before they could buy the drug, even though a prescription for Tamiflu is not required by UAE law.
According to information on the Roche website, the company is unlikely to fulfil large orders for Tamiflu at short notice.
The website also stated that the drug takes two to three years to produce. The actual manufacturing process is between six and eight months.
Avian flu is not an airborne disease and is only transmittable through direct contact with infected birds.
However, health officials fear that the virus with its more than 50 per cent fatality rate, will mutate and cause a global pandemic which will kill millions.
