News Release

HHS Assists States With Antiviral Drug Purchases

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced a contract award with Roche Laboratories, Inc. to provide oseltamivir phosphate (Tamiflu�) to all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories and the three Freely Associated States of the Pacific at a federally subsidized price. The contract will run for a period of two years with a total contract award amount of $149,110,000.

�Our ultimate goal is to stockpile sufficient quantities of antiviral drugs to treat 25 percent of the U.S. population,� Secretary Leavitt said. �Helping the states develop their own medical stockpiles will facilitate quicker distribution of antiviral drugs in the event of a pandemic influenza outbreak.�

Under the HHS contract, 59 jurisdictions will be able to purchase at federally negotiated price from Roche and will receive a 25 percent federal subsidy for a prescribed number of treatment courses. A complete table of projected antiviral purchases and subsidized allocations for all jurisdictions is posted online at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/state/antivirals.html

The up to 31 million antiviral courses that will be acquired through this contract are in addition to 44 million treatment courses the federal government has begun to purchase without state funding contributions for future distribution to states.

This is latest step in a comprehensive plan to prepare for a pandemic influenza. Since last fall, HHS has joined with state and local officials to conduct pandemic preparedness summits in all but two states, and the remaining two summits are now scheduled. Summits have also been held in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean and Pacific territories, and with Tribal leaders.

More information on pandemic preparedness including the second Preparedness Planning Update dated June 29, 2006 can be found online at www.pandemicflu.gov

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last revised: June 30, 2006