Dr. Mark Ebell, epidemiology and biostatistics director and professor in the College of Public Health, was quoted in a Mercola article about the unsealed lawsuit against Tamiflu.
The lawsuit is filed against drugmaker Roche and alleges that the company knowingly made false claims about the effectiveness of the influenza drug. This led to the U.S. government to stockpile more than $1.5 billion of the drug in case of an outbreak.
Ebell called the lawsuit “far too late” and explained how the drug, which has been used since 1999 to lessen flu symptoms, was approved and then widely used in the U.S. and U.K. based on limited evidence.
“The manufacturer’s press release stated that the drug was studied in two randomized trials enrolling a total of 849 patients with influenza and reported a 1.3 day mean reduction in the duration of symptoms,” said Ebell. “On the basis of these limited (and ultimately revealed as incomplete) data, governments acted.”