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Roche says on track to raise Tamiflu production
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2005-11-07
By Douwe Miedema
ZURICH (Reuters) - Roche will raise the production of its antiviral drug Tamiflu, the drugmaker said, just as the World Health Organisation warned on Monday that a lethal strain of the avian influenza virus was spreading fast.
The Swiss firm said it was in talks with other drugmakers and with governments to step up the production of Tamiflu -- seen as the most effective drug to fight bird flu -- as the world braces for the possibility of a catastrophic pandemic among humans.
"We have continually increased our production capacities and are now putting in place the means to increase production of Tamiflu to 300 million treatments as of 2007," William Burns, chief executive of Roche's Pharma division, said.
Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, is one of a class of antiviral drugs known as neuraminidase inhibitors, which the World Health Organisation has recommended governments should stockpile to prepare for the spreading of the virus.
The virus has led to the culling of 150 million birds worldwide but it remains hard for people to catch, having killed 63 people in Asia so far. Fears are it may change, however, and acquire the ability to be transmitted from human to human.
Governments are scrambling to stock up on Tamiflu, but production is limited. Roche is discussing granting licences to others under pressure from generic drug companies, developing nations and the United States.
SHARING THE BURDEN
The World Health Organisation, holding a meeting with the World Bank and others to coordinate funding to battle bird flu, said on Monday the lethal H5N1 strand of the virus responsible so far for the death of humans was spreading fast.
It was only a matter of time before an avian flu virus acquired the ability to spread between humans, and this could kill between 100,000 and 200,000 people in the United States alone should it unleash a pandemic, it added.
Roche said it had received more than 150 requests from third parties to produce Tamiflu and was in early talks with eight companies, selecting potential partners for more detailed discussions by the end of November.
The companies included large generic manufacturers, Roche said, adding it was also in talks with a number of governments, naming Taiwan and Vietnam.
Last month, Roche said it would meet four generic manufacturers to increase production, naming Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd, Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc., Mylan Laboratories Inc. and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.
The extra production meant a tenfold increase over the capacity in 2004 when Roche first decided to step up the speed with which it makes Tamiflu, it said.
The bird-flu virus has recently moved from Asia to eastern Europe and is expected to move into the Middle East and Africa soon.
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