Public Health Minister Michael Matheson has today confirmed that the Scottish Government spent £34 million pounds stockpiling the controversial flu drugs Tamiflu and Reflenza.
When pressed by Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser, the Public Health minister confirmed that the Scottish Government hoarded £34 million pounds worth of the drugs and will now be working with other nations in the UK to review its stockpiling and whether this approach was correct.
Tamiflu was recently subject to a series of investigations by the British Medical Journal and the Cochrane Collaboration who claimed the drug did not prevent the spread of flu or reduce dangerous complications, and only slightly helped reduce the symptoms.
Labour MSP Richard Simpson also intervened to ask whether the Scottish Government will get behind a campaign to require the pharmaceutical industry to publish all of its research findings prior to publishing research.
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“Tamiflu and Relenza were stockpiled in huge quantities by the then Labour Government at Westminster and the SNP at Holyrood.
“However it is concerning, in light of recent medical findings, to hear that so much public money was spend on a drug that has little real impact in helping flu victims.
“Back in 2009, as the flu pandemic swept the world it was understandable that the Scottish Government looked to protect the population, however the stockpiling of these particular drugs appears to have been influenced more by panic than a well thought out strategy and I would hope that lessons have been learned for the future.”