India bracing for avian attack

With reports of avian influenza (bird flu) trickling in from neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan, Hetero Drugs and Cipla, the two Indian pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the avian influenza drug, oseltamivir phosphate, are bracing themselves for an emergency.

Hetero is the only Indian partner of multinational drug major Roche Scientific for the manufacture and supply of the latter's patented drug, Tamilflu in developing countries. It has renewed its exclusive contract with Roche for another year (2007-08).

Cipla, India's second largest drug company, manufactures Antiflu, a generic equivalent of Roche's Tamiflu. It has gone a step ahead by supplying medicines to Bangladesh for enhancing its stockpile of medicines. Both the companies are confident of supplying sufficient quantity of medicines to meet any sudden outbreak of bird flu.

Confirming the development, Srinivas Reddy, director Hetero, said that as an exclusive partner of Roche for another year, his company will continue to manufacture and supply birdflu drugs to the developing world. "We have already supplied one lakh doses of medicines to the Indian government last year. With a shelf-life of 5 years, the stocks should be sufficient for meeting any emergencies in India. Further, we have sufficient API (raw material) to manufacture another one lakh doses of bird flu drug within a short notice of four days." he said.

Amar Lulla, joining managing director, Cipla confirmed that it has already dispatched medicines to Bangladesh. However, the company did not disclose the volume of medicines or the price at which it has been supplied. "We have supplied the drug at a fraction of the price of the innovator's brand", Lulla said.

Both Hetero and Cipla said that they haven't received any requests from the Indian government for further stockpiling of stocks.

India, which has a sufficient stock of avian influenza drugs, is keenly observing developments in its neighbourhood. On March 22, the central government held a high level review meeting to assess the country's preparedness to handle any outbreak of the disease in India.

As a precautionary measure, states bordering Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh have been put on alert. The animal husbandry department has advised these states to intensify surveillance measures. The country has decided not to press the panic button although an outbreak has been reported from the countries which flank India.

According to Girish Telang, managing director, Roche Scientific, the central government has purchased a sufficient stock of Tamiflu from Roche in 2006. The company is not in a position to market the drug on its own as the governmental ban prevents retail sale of the medicine in India. "The ban, announced last year, still holds", he said.