Finland's pharmaceutical chain University Pharmacy sold 130 packs of the antiviral drug Tamiflu on Monday, the amount usually sold for the whole of April, local media reported on Wednesday.

Consumers may be stockpiling the medicine that is expected to be effective against the swine flu virus, even though there has not been any reported case of swine flu in the country yet.

"Widespread unnecessary use of Tamiflu will increase the chance of the virus becoming resistant," Petri Ruutu, a professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare of Finland was quoted assaying.

Finnish authorities are calling on physicians not to write Tamiflu prescriptions that are not based on actual need.