/24-7PressRelease/ - NEW YORK, NY, May 31, 2006 - "Many scientists around the world are working hard to trace bird flu virus and hope to hold the mutation of the virus before its changes cause human-to-human infection." H5N1 is considered the most lethal form of the avian influenza virus so far among birds. Avian influenza occasionally causes disease in humans.
Oseltamivir drug is the most likely to be useful if the H5N1 avian flu virus evolves into a pandemic strain. Tamiflu does not prevent infection but reduces the risk of fatality if taken within a couple days of onset of symptoms. Many countries, including the United States, have been stockpiling it.
Maker of Tamiflu, Roche had been signed a deal with South African generic drug company to produce a generic version of flu treatment, oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
Roche has come under pressure from governments and generic manufacturers who have raised the possibility of a challenge to its patent on Tamiflu. Roche has already agreed 15 alliances with outside subcontractors to help increase production of the drug to 400m treatments by the end of 2006. On its own, the company had been planning to dramatically scale up production to 300m treatments by the end of next year.
Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that US is sending a load of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to an undisclosed site in Asia for use against a possible avian influenza pandemic.
The statement came as health officials continued to investigate whether a cluster of avian flu cases in an Indonesian family involved person-to-person transmission. The WHO reported that all confirmed case-patients in the cluster had close and prolonged contact with other family members who were sick and that no alternative source of infection has yet been found.
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