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news.Roche has said it will work with the US Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate a delivery schedule of its flu treatment Tamiflu while continuing to seek partner companies to increase supply.
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At present Tamiflu is believed to be the most effective treatment against avian flu. The product was originally co-developed with the US firm Gilead Sciences and is indicated for systemic treatment for the most common strains of influenza.
The Swiss drugmaker said it has an internal high-level team in place that is dedicated to assessing the ability of other companies and partners to either produce or provide capabilities in Tamiflu production.
Following discussions with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 2003, Roche began to expand its Tamiflu supply chain. The FDA recently approved an additional manufacturing site in the US for the production of Tamiflu. The newly registered site further expands Roche’s already significantly increased worldwide production capacity.
This US facility is part of a network of more than a dozen production sites for Tamiflu worldwide, more than half of which are with third-party manufacturers. By mid-2006, global production capacity for Tamiflu will have increased eight to ten-fold over 2003 levels.
Roche is presently reported to be in discussions with Shanghai Pharmaceutical, China’s largest drugmaker, about the possibility of Shanghai producing the antiviral. Over the last month China has reported three outbreaks of avian flu and has now suspended poultry imports from over 14 countries.