The World Health Organisation is working closely with Mexican officials to make sure drugs are available to fight the outbreak of swine flu, but warns other countries may need more as well if the disease spreads, a senior official said today.

Swiss drug company Roche Holding AG says the World Health Organisation (WHO) has enough of the anti-flu treatment Tamiflu stockpiled to treat up to five million people who come down with the new strain of swine flu that broke out in Mexico.

A Shanghai court has put on trial six people accused of making an unlicensed version of the anti-bird flu drug Tamiflu, newspapers and the court announced today.

Lab tests have confirmed that at least some of the chickens that died of bird flu in western India in recent weeks were infected with the deadly H5N1 strain, the country’s first case of the disease.

ROMANIA confirmed yesterday that dead hens discovered in a remote village had bird flu as Chinese officials warned that the threat to humans was growing as the winter flu months approached and ordered officials to stockpile emergency supplies.

Bird flu-hit Vietnam has reached an agreement with the Swiss manufacturer of the antiviral drug Tamiflu to allow the country to produce the medication starting early next year, a Health Ministry official said today.

The country worst hit by bird flu, Vietnam, confirmed its 42nd human death today from the virus, as the World Health Organisation warned governments to be ready for when – not if – a deadly pandemic arrives that could kill millions.

The bird flu virus that infected a Vietnamese girl was resistant to the main drug that’s being stockpiled in case of a pandemic, a sign that it’s important to keep a second drug on hand as well, a researcher said tonight.

The bird flu outbreak in western Turkey has been contained, the health minister said today, urging the public to remain calm amid panic over news that Turkish birds were infected with the virulent H5N1 virus.

MICROSOFT CORP chief executive officer Steve Ballmer and general counsel Brad Smith held talks with the European Commission yesterday in an effort to settle row over the world’s largest software maker allegedly abusing the dominance of Windows to stifle competition.

Swiss pharmaceuticals companies Roche Holding AG and Medivir AB are to amend their existing HIV collaboration and begin a joint research program into hepatitis C, it was announced in a joint press release.

EUROPE'S three biggest drug companies will showcase new products at three keenly-awaited research and development presentations in the coming weeks, but none has a quick fix for sceptical investors, analysts say.

NOVARTIS AG, Europe’s third-biggest drugmaker, said second-quarter profit rose 2.3% as the company boosted sales of its top two products, the hypertension drug diovan and leukemia medicine gleevec.