EBay stops Tamiflu sale on Web as drug price soars

[mandy]

Internet auction site eBay pulled the sale of Roche Holding AG's flu drug Tamiflu from its Web site on Tuesday, after prices topped 100 pounds ($174) on growing fears about the spread of bird flu.

A spokeswoman for eBay said the auction had been stopped because the sale of prescription drugs was not allowed under the company's rules.

Europe has seen a surge in demand for Tamiflu on the Internet, following confirmation of cases of avian flu in Turkey and Romania, and a suspected case in Greece.

full article: http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-10-18T121931Z_01_ROB844299_RTRUKOC_0_US-BIRDFLU-ROCHE-EBAY.xml

[rose]

I wouldn't trust a prescription drug bought off an auction site. They probably paid $174 for a bottle of aspirin. 

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=rose link=topic=870.msg3331#msg3331 date=1129661614]
I wouldn't trust a prescription drug bought off an auction site. They probably paid $174 for a bottle of aspirin. 
[/quote]

We're talking eBay here: the buyer would get a bottle with a cotton ball in it and no aspirins.  :twistedevil: :twistedevil: :twistedevil: :blinkie:

[amy]

I was just reading a news story on Yahoo about bird flu and bird flu medications and there was a "You can get IT at eBay" ad on the page. 

[xppman]

gotta love feebay

[bargainbloodhound]

[quote author=xppman link=topic=870.msg4200#msg4200 date=1130963549]

gotta love feebay
[/quote]

[mandy]

A related article: Bird flu fear hits Germany, and slimeballs step in to profit from others' fear:

Snake oil peddlers, shamans and scrupulous marketers are all popping up on eBay. This time they're selling potions and protective gear to keep you from getting avian influenza. Unfortunately, this "protective gear" will do little for your health or your wallet.

Bird flu fever is spreading on the German version of the online auction site eBay almost as quickly as the disease takes hold in nothern parts of the country. This week, several hundred bird flu-linked items are for sale -- they range from the tacky and tasteless to the blatant fleecing of consumers' pockets. It's a phenomenon that repeats itself every time a major issue erupts in the news that can somehow be linked -- however tenuously -- to some sort of product. Type in the right keywords and they soon pop up, en masse, on the giant Internet flea market...

full article: http://service.spiegel.de/cache/internat...65,00.html

[mandy]

On a related note: eBayers that can't spell  :twistedevil:

eBay user is selling a 'Bird Flu License Plate' with the registration numbers  HN51 FLU.  Opening bid of   £8,999.  This eBay seller may face one small problem in selling the license plate: the seller is apparently unaware the correct term for bird flu is H5N1 not HN51 

Bird Flu licence plate – HN51 FLU

    Excellent plate for vets, doctors or scientists!
    You are bidding on a V750 certificate for the UK registration mark “HN51 FLU”.
    This would be an ideal plate for a vet or a doctor and will turn heads!
    Bird flu is almost in the UK, this plate could well be undervalued so could well be an excellent, if not controversial, investment for the future!

full article: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/24/bird_flu_plate/