Wellington, April 29 NZPA - Tamiflu, the medicine being given to people showing symptoms of influenza A and swine flu, will be available public without a prescription from Friday.

The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand today said pharmacists could only sell Tamiflu to patients who displayed symptoms of influenza, not to patients who were concerned they might develop it.

Tamiflu is an anti-viral medicine that is used to reduce the symptoms and severity of influenza.

Manufacturer Roche today reiterated that Tamiflu was not a vaccine against influenza but an antiviral medicine.

It attacked the influenza virus and stopped it spreading further.

Tamiflu was active against influenza virus types A and B and needed to be taken as soon as possible within the first or second day of onset of symptoms, Roche said.

Swine flu is a subset within the influenza A family, and Roche said the World Health organisation had indicated that the Mexican swine flu virus was sensitive to it.

The symptoms of influenza may include a sore throat, coughing, fever, headaches, body aches, chills and fatigue, and diarrhoea and vomiting in some cases.

Annabel Young, chief executive of the Pharmacy Guild, said she expected pharmacists would be inundated with Tamiflu requests given the current concern.

"This is understandable, but there are clear restrictions under which Tamiflu can be sold -- for the safety of the patient the pharmacist must abide by these conditions," she said.

NZPA WGT mgr dw kn