Announcement Date: October 16, 2014
The response states: “the Cochrane authors have made basic errors in their assessment of oseltamivir efficacy data, overinterpreted the limited safety data they evaluated, and wholly ignored certain types of data”.
Roche feedback on “Neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children”.
Following publication of the updated Cochrane Review of neuraminidase inhibitors for preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults and children, by Jefferson and colleagues in April 2014, the Editor in Chief received correspondance from Roche, manufacturer of oseltamivir (Tamiflu), one of the neuraminidase inhibitors assessed in the Cochrane Review.
There is a Comments system on the Cochrane Library, enabling feedback on Cochrane Reviews or Protocols, but the comments received from Roche were too long and complex to be submitted via that route. Given the importance of the review question and the right of the reply afforded to the manufacturers, the comments are posted here in full. Further commentary should be submitted as a Comment via the Cochrane Library.
The Cochrane Review authors’ response to the comments (March 2015) is also included here.
The review is managed by the Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group.