Concentration Lowered in Tamiflu Medication

When influenza season arrives this fall, a liquid form of Tamifluthe most widely used antiviral flu medicationwill be available in a new, lower concentration to reduce the possibility of medication errors, according to an announcement today by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The change applies to the oral suspension form of Tamiflu. Oral suspension is a powder form of the prescription medication that a pharmacist mixes with water to make a liquid treatment easier to take by children or adults who are unable to swallow a Tamiflu capsule.

The Tamiflu packaging of its oral suspension product says "new strength," meaning that the concentration of medicine in the liquid has been changed from 12 mg/mL (milligrams per milliliter) to 6 mg/mL. It was changed because the higher concentration medication became frothy when mixed, making it difficult to measure the correct dose.

Learn more about this change in one form of this popular flu medication at:

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm262710.htm