Taiwan, India Gear up for Flu Drug

Taiwan's government says it will resort to compulsory licens- ing to produce its own supply of the Roche drug Tamiflu in the event of a bird flu pandemic. Roche, however, says it is entirely capable of meeting Taiwan's requirements following recent increases in production capacity. The Swiss company has promised to deliver 1.3 million Tamiflu treatments to Taiwan next year, taking to 2.3 million the total number of treatments that it has or will deliver to the island. Taiwan, not a WHO member, is concerned about how it would manage during a flu pandemic. Meanwhile, the country's confidence in its ability to produce Tamiflu has been boosted by process research work being performed by Taiwanese pharmaceutical chemical producer ScinoPharm under contract with the government. Executive Vice President Hardy W. Chan says the company is testing a process that does not require the use of the explosive intermediate sodium azide. The process does, however, require the raw material shikimic acid, a natural extract that is in tight supply. Ranbaxy Laboratories said last week that it is prepared to produce a generic version of Tamiflu if called upon by the U.S. government or Roche. Within six months, the firms says, it could be producing the drug in India at a rate of 22 tons per year, enough for 20 million treatments. Ranbaxy also says shikimic acid supply is critical to the process.