††The treatment and prophylaxis stockpiles are decision variables, and the analyses were performed for a range of values to determine the preferred outcomes.
Questions such as the basis for decisions to stockpile antiviral agents versus procuring medical supplies needed for immediate use are ethically relevant.
David Cameron sought to reassure motorists that petrol supplies will not run out after a serious fire involving a woman decanting petrol in her kitchen cast doubt on the government's decision to encourage stockpiling.
Decisions about pandemic stockpiles, procurements, and size depend primarily on financial considerations.
A dynamic model incorporating social distancing can provide a mechanism to consider complex scenarios to support decisions regarding antiviral stockpile size while considering uncertainty around behavioural interventions.
For example, the IRAT can provide subject matter expert consensus input into decisions regarding whether to stockpile a particular influenza vaccine antigen in case it is needed.
"This decision would involve Iran's stockpiling of even more near 20 percent enriched uranium without a credible use for this material in the near term," he said.
"There is no urgent problem that we need to address in terms of our arsenal or stockpile or maintaining them that requires immediate decisions," said Stephen W. Young, senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Their conclusions have emerged in a public accounts committee report which examined the Department of Health's decision to spend £424m on stockpiling the flu drug Tamiflu, before writing off £74m because of poor record keeping.
