Demand for Tamiflu grows
With local hospitals reporting an increase of flu cases, the drug Tamiflu is in high demand. Curtis Pharmacy in Washington is stocked, while other local pharmacies are having a hard time filling requests.
Pharmacist Katrina Loncar said Curtis Pharmacy in Washington is stocked with Tamiflu, a prescription drug to treat flu symptoms. Several local stores are running out of the drug because of high demand.
The flu bug is still making its rounds in what some are calling a particularly bad influenza season, and pharmacies are scrambling to provide medicine to help shorten the amount of time spent in bed sick.
Tamiflu, a prescription medicine used to treat flu symptoms early, was flying off the shelves of local pharmacies in recent weeks.
Local hospitals reported seeing a spike in flu cases this year.
Curtis Pharmacy has been mixing a liquid form of Tamiflu for children because it has not been available for purchase.
Both of the pharmacy’s locations in Claysville and Washington are “fully stocked” in both the liquid and tablet forms of the medication, but only because the store orders three to four dozen packs at a time.
“We’ve been trying to stay ahead of it, and it’s been in pretty crazy demand the past few weeks,” said pharmacy owner Erich Cushey.
Cushey said Tamiflu is high in demand, but the $140 price tag for one pack can be too much for people without insurance or who have high co-pays.
He said many customers are also buying over-the-counter drugs like Theraflu and “trying to manage their symptoms the best they can.”
Jeffrey’s Drugstore in Canonsburg saw an uptick in customers because chain pharmacies like CVS are running out of Tamiflu, according to drugstore owner Jeffrey O’Hare.
O’Hare said chain pharmacies usually have their own warehouses, but independent pharmacies can order from suppliers that still have the drug available – although those options are becoming limited.
“I seem to be able to get it, but I hear there’s a nationwide shortage and a lot of the chains don’t have it,” he said.
The store ordered 20 packs of Tamiflu Monday and 20 more Tuesday – significantly more than average.
O’Hare said Theraflu has also proven popular this season, and he is advising people to hydrate well, take Motrin for the pain and get a lot of sleep.
He also said people with the flu will only benefit from Tamiflu if they use it during the first one or two days of noticing symptoms because by the third or fourth day, they have already “gone through the worst part of the flu.”
The Medicine Shoppe in Bentleyville has not been stockpiling Tamiflu, but the pharmacy did replenish its supply Tuesday.
“I’m not experiencing the shortage as of yet, but that’s not to say it can’t occur going forward,” said owner John Crumrine.
In Greene County, there is both good news and bad news when it comes to the availability of Tamiflu. A pharmacy technician at Gabler’s Drug Store on South Market Street in Carmichaels said Tuesday, “We ran out yesterday.” Yet, she added, “We are begging the wholesaler for some more, and we are hopeful we might get some.”
Similarly, at the Medicine Mine on Route 88 in Carmichaels, a limited supply remains for both children and adults.
However, there is some good news from McCracken’s Pharmacy on High Street in Waynesburg. Katie Yingling, a pharmacy intern, said, “We have a good stockpile, at least for now.” She said the pharmacy continues to receive prescription requests for the drug. “This will be our last batch for a while,” she said.