A 14-year-old boy jumped to his death from his balcony a few hours after taking the med. Officials refuse to draw a clear link, but they’re getting worried. As of November, 54 people died after taking Tamiflu, 16 of whom were 16 years old or younger, says the Japanese government.

“The connection has not been made clear, but if that’s the case then we will have to study special measures,” says Health Minister Hakuo Yanagisawa, Agence-France Presse reports. Japan buys more than 60 percent of the world’s Tamiflu as a protective stockpile.

The ministry ordered Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical, which imports the drug, to provide information to assist a government investigation into the latest deaths. Chugai is owned by Roche, which makes Tamiflu and has vigorously defended the pill.

The FDA last fall ordered new cautionary wording on the Tamiflu label. But given fears over a bird-flu pandemic, it appears unlikely more severe measures are in the cards unless, perhaps, many more people kill themselves. Maybe. This is one to watch.
[tags]Bird Flu, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, Roche, Suicide, Tamiflu[/tags]