Roche shares bird flu virus
Roche Pharmaceuticals has said it is willing to let other manufacturers make generic versions of its anti bird flu drug.
The United Nations has warned that a bird flu pandemic could kill up to 150m people around the world.
The UN’s Dr David Nabarro, who is co-ordinating the organisation’s response, said: “It’s like a combination of global warming and HIV/Aids 10 times faster than it’s running at the moment.”
The patent on the most effective antiviral medicine is held by Swiss drug maker Roche. While the Tamiflu drug does not cure the virus, it lessens the deadly symptoms.
Roche has come under serious pressure from the UN and the World Heath Organisation to move the commercial barriers to manufacture as the death toll from the disease has mounted.
The company announced yesterday that it would be willing to discuss the emergency manufacture of Tamiflu with governments and other drug companies. Indian generics manufacturer Cipla has already said that it wants to start supplying governments who are building up stockpiles of the drug.
William Burns, the CEO of Roche’s pharma division, said: “In support of the global effort to fight a potential pandemic, we would be prepared to discuss such sub-licences to increase the manufacture of Tamiflu, provided such groups can realistically produce substantial amounts of the medicine.”
The antiviral drug was first discovered by American firm Gilead, which is locked in a legal dispute with Roche over rights to the drug. Gilead claims that Roche has not done enough to bring the drug to the market quickly.
Governments are rushing to build up stockpiles of the drug. Once bird flu develops to a level where it can be transferred between humans, it could spread very quickly. The EU confirmed its first case of bird flu yesterday when a patient was diagnosed in Greece.
