The Centers for Disease Control are releasing 22,000 courses of expired liquid Tamiflu to Texas pharmacies because of a severe shortage.
Many pharmacies across Texas and other places in the United States are currently sold out of the liquid form of the antiviral. The state is seeing a number of swine flu cases, many of them involving children.
The maker of Tamiflu is currently producing adult tablets only.
"The tablets are too strong of a dose for kids, and they have trouble swallowing them," said Joe Park, a pharmacist at Dougherty’s Pharmacy in Dallas.
The Federal Drug Administration said it has tested the expired doses and deemed them to be safe and effective.
To keep up with demand, Dougherty’s is compounding Tamiflu and making its own liquid version for children.
"There is just such a huge demand for it," Park said. "We are all working overtime to keep up."
The CDC and the FDA are hopeful the shipment of expired, but safe, doses of liquid Tamiflu will ease the burden on pharmacies trying to make their own liquid form of the flu fighter.
