PANDEMICS, PILLS, AND POLITICS

The fascinating story of Tamiflu s development and stockpiling against global health threats orld s most prominent medical countermeasure Tamiflu A pill can strengthen national security The suggestion may seem odd but many states around the world believe precisely that Confronted with pandemics bioterrorism and emerging infectious diseases governments are transforming their security policies to include the proactive development acquisition stockpiling and mass distribution of new pharmaceutical defenses What happens politically economically and socially when governments try to protect their populations with pharmaceuticals How do competing interests among states pharmaceutical companies regulators and scientists play out in the quest to develop new medical countermeasures And do citizens around the world ultimately stand to gain or lose from this pharmaceuticalization of security policy Stefan Elbe explores these complex questions in Pandemics Pills and Politics the first in depth study of the world s most prominent medical countermeasure Tamiflu Taken by millions of people around the planet in the fight against pandemic flu Tamiflu has provoked suspicions about undue commercial influence in government decision making about stockpiles It even