13 December 2005
Roche picks China firm for flu drug
- By Tom Wright
International Herald Tribune
Geneva, Dec. 12: Roche, the Swiss maker of the influenza drug Tamiflu, said on Monday that it had reached an agreement with China's state-owned Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group to make the drug. Roche also said it was is in talks with 12 other companies, including the generic producers Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan Laboratories, to let them take part in Tamiflu production.
The manufacturing license with Shanghai Pharma is the first that Roche has awarded for Tamiflu. Roche is under pressure to allow more companies to make the drug as countries buy and stockpile it amid growing fears of a bird flu pandemic in humans, and amid increasing reports of human cases in China.
Daniel Piller, a Roche spokesman, said Shanghai Pharma would pay Roche a license fee to have full control over production and pricing of Tamiflu, which many Asian officials complain is expensive. The terms of the license, he said, would allow Shanghai Pharmaceutical to produce drugs for stockpiling against a pandemic, not for sale commercially during the regular flu season.
It remained unclear when Shanghai Pharmaceutical would be able to start making Tamiflu. Roche owns a venture in China with Shanghai Pharmaceutical and is expected to provide technical experts to help get the Tamiflu process started.
Roche said it had also chosen 12 companies out of about 200 that had submitted requests to take part in manufacturing Tamiflu as part of preparing for a pandemic. It confirmed that Teva, based in Petah Tikva, Israel, and Mylan were among the companies after their identities were rele-ased. Roche declined to identify the other partners.
Based on statements by Roche, it appears likely the partners, who will be confirmed early next year, will take part in production but have no control over distribution or pricing. William M. Burns, head of the pharmaceutical division at Roche, said the partners would help ensure that there was enough Tamiflu.