AS ANXIETY over avian flu grows, entrepreneurs, spammers, quacks and snake-oil merchants are reaping the benefits. As well as drugs purporting to be Tamiflu, the internet offers assorted “immune-system boosters”, “herbal Tamiflu” and various masks that supposedly protect against the virus.
Internet searches for “avian flu” or “bird flu” have increased dramatically in the past few months, rising 10-fold in the US, for example, and demand for Tamiflu has surged accordingly. In the UK, bids for a supposed course of 10 doses with a retail price of £16.36 reached over £100 on the internet auction site eBay last week before the firm removed Tamiflu from sale, citing company rules proscribing the sale of prescription drugs.…
