The ability to purchase influenza medication at a lower price allowed the Metropolitan King County Council to approve legislation today reinvesting the savings into outreach and prevention campaigns to reduce the spread of a potential influenza pandemic.
“We’re using savings from reduced medication costs to buy another ounce of prevention for pandemic flu,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, co-sponsor of the legislation with Councilmember Jane Hague. “Prevention programs, stockpiled medication, and an aggressive response plan are vital to ensuring no members of the population are left behind if pandemic flu strikes King County. Today’s action is part of the council’s overarching effort to protect King County’s population from emerging threats such as bird flu, West Nile virus and MRSA.”
“It's our job to be prepared for emergencies but to also be fiscally prudent,” said Councilmember Hague. “The county saved money on the purchase of Tamiflu but also funded other critical community preparedness work with the savings.”
In September 2006, the Council authorized $5.9 million for the King County Pandemic Influenza Response Plan, a multi-step, multi-faceted approach to preparing for a potential pandemic flu outbreak in King County. Of that total $4.76 million was designated for the purpose of purchasing the antiviral medicine Tamiflu at a cost of $40 per dose. The County, working together with Washington State officials, found a way to buy Tamiflu through a federal purchasing program for state agencies at $14.43 per course of treatment, creating a savings of $2 million while increasing the amount of medicine that can be purchased.
The legislation adopted by the Council today approved a plan proposed by the County Executive to use the unspent funds for specific programs, including:
Read more about this legislation on the King County Council’s LEGISEARCH system. Type in “2006-0594”