Vilsack wants state to to buy antiviral meds

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By Charlotte Eby | Monday, July 31, 2006 | No comments posted

TODAY: (Updated 3:26 p.m.) DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack will ask the state’s Executive Council for more than $4.8 million to purchase antiviral medication that would be stockpiled in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Vilsack wants to purchase almost 310,000 courses of antivirals, which would be added to the other 440,000 courses that would be purchased by the federal government.

Treatment for about 25 percent of Iowa’s population would be available in the event of an outbreak.

“All in all, we want to make sure that the people of Iowa know that we are focused every day on making this state a safer and more secure place,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has recommended the medication be stockpiled by individual states, Vilsack said.

Iowa has a window of opportunity to purchase the drug, he said, or other states will be able to purchase the treatments Iowa does not want.

Mary Mincer Hansen, director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, said the request would include the purchase of two types of treatments, including Tamiflu, a common treatment for influenza.

“We are not able to predict when this would happen, but, again, we always want to be prepared,” she said.

The state’s Executive Council, which would have to approve the purchase, is comprised of the governor and statewide elected officials, including Attorney General Tom Miller and Agriculture Secretary Patty Judge, among others. The council will have two weeks to consider the request.

Charlotte Eby can be contacted at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com.