roche to rpoduce more tamiflu*** problem

roche is waiting on the govts for more orders of tamiflu, but has agreements in place for 13 more labs to produce it..............I wonder if the govt are revisitng their orders for tamiflu, and changing it to relenza, since the news of tamiflu not working as the chinese doctor reported, (or was it a vietnames doc)

Roche agrees with laboratories to produce extra Tamiflu
Source: WASHINGTON, Dec 8 AFP
Published: December 09 2005, 06:59AM

Swiss drug giant Roche Pharmaceuticals has made agreements with 15 laboratories in the United States to produce extra quantities of its Tamiflu medicine to counter avian flu, a US senator said today.

Senator Charles Schumer said in a statement that Roche was about to announce the accords, which have been made with Teva Pharmaceuticals, Mylan Laboratories and 13 other firms.

But he said the deal depends on the US government and other countries making firm orders for the extra Tamiflu. advertisement

advertisement

"Roche has made the right decision," Schumer said.

"Instead of closely holding their patent rights and production techniques, in the face of a global health risk, they've moved swiftly to partner with multiple companies to dramatically increase production of this potentially life-saving drug."

He urged the US administration and Congress to act quickly to vote money to build a Tamiflu stockpile.

The treatment is considered the most effective available to counter the H5N1 avian flu which has killed almost 70 people in Asia since 2003.