Battleangel

At least someone is having the humanitarian view in mind.

SIFY - Cipla has done it again. As more countries report incidents of Avian flu, the Mumbai-based drug maker Cipla has said that it will be ready with generic versions of Roche’s anti-influenza drug Tamiflu by the year-end.

“Cipla has developed the generic version of the drug, but we will honour the patent (on the drug) in countries where it is valid. Where it is not valid, the situation does not arise,” the Cipla Chief, Dr Yusuf Hamied, currently in Spain, told Business Line.

Tamiflu is an anti-viral drug used to treat bird-flu and Cipla’s announcement comes as governments stockpile the drug fearing an epidemic. Swiss drug maker Roche is under pressure to step up supplies of Tamiflu, as fears of a shortage of the drug fanned across countries.

The last time around Cipla stirred up global markets was in 2001, when it offered its anti-AIDS drugs for African patients.

So in essence increasing availability and cutting prices dramatically. As it stands, the generic drug can’t easily be sold to the US or Europe, unless of course Cipla is specifically asked to do so and governments are willing to throw intellectual property laws out the window. We’ll see what is more important when the time comes, saving lives or lining the pockets of pharmaceutical companies, looking after the elites. As it stands, and of course noting that Cipla are not walking away empty handed either, a critical genetic reshuffling followed by a global outbreak could force many nations to break with its draconian IP laws and rethink their strategy for enriching and protecting corporate entities. As such it may well be the only positive thing to come out of a global pandemic.

Tamiflu is currently the only proven, if shaky, means to increase resistance against these strains of influenza. It is not however a replacement for a proper vaccine, which I might add also hangs in the patent balance. For a proper vaccine to be developed one obviously need to have the “mature” virus, or something close enough, and a technique like plasmid-based reverse genetics. [1] Unfortunately, viable techniques are in the hands of a select few IP holders, that again, ironically lack the proper facilities to manufacture vaccine in large enough quantities.

Roche officials, upon being queried on the possibility of sharing the patent bluntly noted that “Roche … fully intends to remain the sole manufacturer of Tamiflu.” [2]

2005/10/20: Roche agrees to discuss Tamiflu licenses (CNN) but so far only with a select few companies. Could be IP matters perhaps. No doubt the Cipla story spooked Roche.