The Hindu Business Line : ‘No scramble for stocking bird flu drug Oseltamivir’

Mumbai, Aug. 8 The Manipur government has sought emergency stocks of anti-influenza medicine Oseltamivir from drug-maker Hetero, after the country’s first outbreak of bird flu this year was reported in the State.

But the outbreak has not triggered a fresh scramble to procure Oseltamivir, one of the medicines known to mitigate the effects of bird flu. Existing stockpiles of Oseltamivir in the country, procured last year when bird flu was first reported in Maharashtra, is one of the reasons.

But the other factor dampening demand for Oseltamivir is the Centre’s directive disallowing its retail sale even as drug-majors like Cipla, Ranbaxy and other local companies put their versions of the drug on the table.

The Hetero Marketing Director, Mr Srinivas Reddy, told Business Line that Manipur’s authorities had sought an “emergency requirement” of about 1,000 packs from the Hyderabad-based company.

Last year, after the initial bird flu outbreak, Hetero had supplied the Central Government with Oseltamivir. But only a small percentage of those stocks were used during the outbreak in Maharahstra and the Centre still sits on sufficient inventory, he said.

Hetero is the only Indian drug company with a sub-licence from Swiss drugmaker Roche that allows it to make and market Oseltamivir, for an undisclosed royalty payment . Roche globally markets Oseltamivir under the brand name Tamiflu.

Hetero has exported about $15 million worth of Oseltamivir to South-East Asian countries, he said. The US and European markets are, however, out of bounds for Hetero’s version of Tamiflu, as the Roche-Gilead combine have patents on this drug in these markets.

Mumbai-based drug company Cipla too has not had any fresh queries from the Centre or other state governments for Oseltamivir. With no product-patent being issued yet on Oseltamivir in India, Cipla exported its version of the drug to some neighbouring countries last year, Mr Amar Lulla, Cipla’s Chief Executive Officer, said. There has been no fresh demand for the medicine this year, he added.

The company has petitioned the Centre to allow retail sales of Oseltamivir as it is an influenza drug. The Centre, however, had restricted Oseltamivir sales to just governments and government hospitals to prevent its indiscriminate use , on concerns that resistance to the drug could develop in humans if used frequently.

Roche, too has had no fresh demand for the medicine in India. The company’s Managing Director, Dr G.L.Telang, told the correspondent that Roche had supplied about 30,000 packs of Tamiflu that had been earlier committed to India.

Ranbaxy’s Executive Director (Corporate Affairs), Mr Ramesh L. Adige, said that the company could supply Oseltamivir to the Central government if required, at short notice. It has exported the medicine to Malaysia, Egypt and Oman.

According to recent reports, the H5N1 (bird flu) virus has killed 192 people out of 319 who have been affected since late 2003. And globally, governments are keen on stockpiling medicines on fears that the virus would mutate and movefrom poultry to humans.