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Govt to consider compulsory licensing of bird flu drugs today
Our Bureau
New Delhi
,
Oct. 24
TOP Government officials from the Ministries of Health, Chemicals and Fertilisers, Industry and Animal Husbandry are likely to take stock of the spread of bird flu in India and the availability of medicines on Tuesday.
Speaking to newspersons at the sidelines of the launch of a music video produced by Doordarshan for the Ministry of Health, Mr Prasanna Hota, Secretary, Health Ministry, said, "We will be discussing the issue of invoking the compulsory licensing clause to ensure the supplies of both drugs and vaccines in the country."
He said the meeting would discuss provisions of compulsory licensing and breaking patent protection for anti-viral drugs, enabling Indian manufacturers produce generic medicines at a cheaper price. "These are legal matters, which need preparatory time. But a decision will be taken soon," he added.
Reiterating that there is no need to panic, he said that India has to be prepared. "I do not think India is in any imminent danger, but there is no room for complacency either," said Mr Hota.
Currently, the Swiss firm Roche manufactures Tamiflu, an anti-influenza drug. Companies such as Ranbaxy and Cipla have already announced their preparedness to manufacture the drug in case of an emergency. Officials will also meet next week to discuss monitoring and surveillance measures for birds migrating from Siberia and other regions to India.
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