12 October 2023 at 4:00 p.m.
The Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) is now issuing a warning against purchasing artificial influenza antiviral pills labeled oseltamivir that have been smuggled into the nation because the number of influenza cases in 2023 has increased fivefold compared to the monthly averages for the same period last year.
According to Dr. Thira Woratanarat of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine on his Facebook page yesterday, the number of virus cases from January to September of this year was higher than the same time next year.
In January of this year, there were fewer than 20,000 cases of flu, but by September, that number had increased to 100,000 circumstances. In September of last year, there were only 20, 000 virus circumstances. According to Dr. Thira, the number of influenza cases increased by 5.2 % in January compared to the same time in 2022, 7.6 % in February, 3.5 % in March, 4.8 % in April, 5.9 % in May, 7.2 times in July, 6.4 % in August, and 5.1 % in September.
Recently, Cholnan Srikaew, the minister of public health, announced the flu subtypes that are common in Thailand: the A H1N1, H3N2, and B viruses. The Public Health Ministry is even extending the time spectrum of infant immunization from six months to two years and up to five years.
In the meantime, drug, an arbitrary antiviral drug, is becoming more and more popular in the North. According to complaints made to the government, there is a scarcity of oseltamivir, which has led to panic buying, according to locals.
Oseltamivir is on stock, according to Dr. Narong Aphikulvanich, acting secretary-general of the FDA, and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization is promoting the production of osaltavivir ( 30g and 45g ) to be distributed throughout the world. He claimed that smuggled unnatural drug, which was sold in the North, entered the nation. According to him, the FDA may take legal action against the offenders.
Tamiflu 75g, GPO A-Flu 30g and 35g are the drug treatments that are available in Thailand. Oseltamivir is a controlled drug that is only sold in clinics. Oseltamivir may be prescribed to patients before use, and they shouldn’t purchase it from pharmacy or on other websites, he said.