| Roche and GlaxoSmithKline see more antiviral orders from US | Posted on 02/03/2006 in Pharmaceutical Company Product News The US government has purchased several million doses of anti-viral drugs from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Roche.
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said that it had bought 12.5 million treatment courses of Tamiflu from Roche and 1.75 million courses of anti-viral drug Relenza from GSK. The announcement adds to the 5.5 million courses already purchased by the agency.
It added that the DHHS's pandemic drug plan aims to build up enough of a stockpile to treat 25 per cent of the US population and to stimulate local production capacity.
Secretary Mike Levitt said in a statement: "Having a stockpile of antiviral drugs is an important part of our pandemic influenza preparedness plan.
"These purchases are a continuation of our aggressive multi-pronged approach to a potentially critical public health challenge."
Pandemic flu has yet to emerge, leaving defence plans against the disease relying on anti-viral drugs rather than vaccines. The H5N1 flu virus has made its way across Asia and Europe, being recently found in Germany and on a French poultry farm, but still only affects humans through direct transmission.
 © Adfero LtdOther news stories from 02/03/2006
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