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State slow to acquire flu drugs
By Hillary Chabot December 22, 2007 ... Massachusetts hasn't bought any anti-viral medication to use in the event of a global influenza pandemic, and a tight fiscal year means it may be shelved again this year. The Bay State is just one of seven states that still haven't purchased the drugs, according to a report released this week about the country's emergency preparedness. "If we're not equally prepared, then the capacity of the virus to spread, not just in Massachusetts but elsewhere, will be greater," said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, a nonprofit health-advocacy group. "Viruses don't respect state borders." The annual report card also gave Massachusetts bad marks for not stockpiling medication and not having the capacity to test for biological threats. The state improved its score this year, fulfilling seven of the 10 emergency planning goals as opposed to six last year. Sen. Richard Moore, D-Uxbridge, chairman of the Committee on Health Care Financing, reworked a bill initially filed by former Gov. Mitt Romney to put $36.5 million into bed, respirators and anti-viral medication. "All of the public health agencies suggest that it really is a matter of time before we see a serious outbreak in the United States. We have an opportunity to get anti-virals which stay good for at least five years. It makes sense to have an initial supply. If an outbreak occurred, we would look pretty unprepared," Moore said. The bill is sitting in the Senate Ways and Means Committee for approval, but a tough budget year means the $36.5 million bill has little chance of passing intact, said Ways and Means Chairman Steve Panagiotakos. He promised that some portion of the bill would move forward, however. "We're just going over our different options of what we can do to keep it moving forward," said the Lowell Democrat. "I think we'll do something. I don't think we'll be able to do the $36 million. We won't be able to make a decision on it until after the first of the year." Lowell Health Director Frank Singleton said he's not overly concerned about the medication because he's unsure how effective Tamiflu or Relenza would be in the event of an epidemic. The additional beds and respirators included in the bill, however, are necessary, he said. The state has evacuation plans to at least three locations, including the Massachusetts Military Reservation on Cape Cod and possibly UMass Lowell. While the state's emergency says the locations have 5,000 beds a piece, those beds haven't been purchased, Singleton said. "Nobody's got beds," he said. "They list the temporary alternative care centers which hospitals will use when a pandemic hits, but the beds never got appropriated." Tom Lyons, adviser in the Department of Public Health on emergency preparedness, said the state is ready to buy supplies as soon as the Legislature funds them. "It's clear our planning has gone under some assumptions," Lyons said. "We've been planning on using specialty units to take on surge of patients at hospitals, but we do not have that equipment at this point." Lyons echoed Singleton's concern that the effectiveness of the anti-virals, and pointed out the state would get about 1 million doses from the federal government in the event of a pandemic. Levi still believes a stockpile of doses should be on hand. "There's a broad public health consensus that this is a risk worth taking because the odds are pretty good that there will be some impact," Levi said. "Most states have done this." Moore said while he understands the lean budget year ahead, he hopes Senate Ways and Means carves out funding for a vital precaution. "I understand it's hard to get people to commit funds to something that may happen in future when they have demands for funds needed right now, but we need to make an investment for our own protection." Read the complete story at The Lowell Sun. |
