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news.Roche has announced that Tamiflu, a drug shown to be active against bird flu, now has a fully operational supply chain in the US, with an annual production capacity of 80 million treatment courses.
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The US supply chain is part of Roche’s global production network, which will be capable of producing 400 million treatment courses of Tamiflu annually by the end of 2006, a more than ten-fold increase since 2004. Established by Roche at the request of the US government, the supply chain covers all aspects of Tamiflu production from synthesis to finished packs.
“The ability to produce Tamiflu from start to finish on US soil is a significant milestone that will help ensure access to Tamiflu when and where it is needed,” said George Abercrombie, president and CEO, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
Tamiflu is designed to be active against all clinically relevant influenza viruses, including the H5N1 virus, and has been shown to be active against the H5N1 virus in the laboratory and in animals infected with the H5N1 strain taken from humans. The World Health organization has recommended countries to stockpile the drug in case of a pandemic.