Generic Tamiflu Available Through Indian Manufacturer
A drug manufacturer, Cipla Ltd., based in India, has announced that it has the ability to provide sufficient Generic Tamiflu to respond to a global swine flu epidemic, if needed. The amount of the anti-viral flu medication that would be required is 1.5 million doses, and it can produce this amount with a lead-time of four to six weeks. The Indian government has not indicated if the drug should be stockpiled for such an outbreak.
This large Indian drug manufacturer, Cipla, currently manufactures Oseltamivir, or generic tamiflu. Generic tamiflu is an antiviral drug that has proven effective in fighting the swine flu virus. Although this virus originated in pigs, it has been known to infect humans on rare occasions. This strain of the flu infected many humans in Mexico where the virus originated, and has been fatal in at least 103 instances in this country.
Since its initial outbreak in Mexico, this strain of the flu spread rapidly too many other countries throughout the world. In response to this outbreak of swine flu, the World Health Organization cautioned governments to test for the virus and stated it was a concern for the health of the public internationally.
If an international outbreak occurs and generic tamiflu is required to fight this virus, then Cipla is prepared to export generic tamiflu to meet the demand. As a result, the company’s share prices have risen nearly 7 percent in anticipation of the increased sales of generic tamiflu, in addition to the company’s most recent quarterly profits being higher than expected. Cipla currently supplies generic tamiflu to Indian hospitals that are run by the government at a price of 1,000 rupees for 10 capsules.
However, analysts have cautioned that these additional sales for Cipla may not be realized for some time, as other manufacturers such as Roche and GlaxoSmithKline have a stockpile of anti-flu drugs available. Depending on the severity and length of a global outbreak, these stockpiles may be insufficient to meet the demand and Cipla sales could then be positively affected.