Anti-flu drug production

THE Swiss manufacturer of the only available anti-flu drug announced it was building a new US plant to increase production amid fears of a major flu outbreak.

Also yesterday, an Indian drug company said it was seeking a license from the pharmaceutical giant, Roche, to produce a generic version of the anti-flu drug Tamiflu to make it more widely available.

Cipla Ltd announced it was seeking a license from Roche to manufacture a generic version of Tamiflu. The firm, which said last week that it has already developed a generic version, plans to approach Roche shortly.

Roche has been under pressure from governments and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to license generic versions of Tamiflu, the only available drug effective in treating people with bird flu. It is already in limited supply.

There is no human vaccine for the current strain of bird flu but scientists believe Tamiflu may help humans fend off the virus.