Why does the government think that Tamiflu is safe for children under 1 now?
Health Canada has reviewed the available safety data with respect to the use of Tamiflu in children under 1 year old. As there are no other products available for this age group, and in the context of the current H1N1 pandemic, Health Canada has concluded that the known and potential benefits of Tamiflu outweigh the known and potential risks for children under 1 year. Treatment decisions remain with a physician, who would consider prescribing Tamiflu after weighing the potential risks and benefits to any individual patient. We know that Tamiflu thus far is effective in treating the vast majority of people who have H1N1, making their symptoms less severe and the illness lasting fewer days. We now have some evidence that there seems to be less risk in using Tamiflu in young children. By providing guidance to doctors to prescribe Tamiflu for young children, we are filling in a gap in terms of treatment availability, dosing information, and we have the opportunity to monitor its effects on
