Jump to top navigation | Jump to main navigation | Jump to content
Therapeutic Goods Administration logo

Tamiflu stays on prescription

National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee

Media release

13 October 2005

At is meeting on 11th-13th October 2005, the National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) considered a proposal to make the prescription medicine oseltamivir (Tamiflu) available from pharmacists over the counter for the treatment and prevention of influenza type A and B.

The Committee considered the material presented to it to make oseltamivir a pharmacist only medicine and concluded that its current prescription-only scheduling status remains appropriate at this time.

In accordance with the Committee's practice and statutory requirements, a record of reasons for this and other scheduling decisions made at this meeting, will be publicly available within the next two months.

Media contact: Kay McNiece, 02 6289 5027

National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC)

The National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee (NDPSC) <http://www.tga.gov.au/ndpsc/index.htm> has been established under section 52B of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. The Committee comprises of State and Territory government members and other persons appointed by the Minister such as technical experts and representatives of various sectional interests.

The Decisions of the NDPSC in relation to the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Drugs and Poisons (SUSDP) have no force in the Commonwealth law but are recommended for incorporation into State and Territory drugs/poisons legislation.