Roche on Friday announced that it has granted a sub-licence to Hyderabad based Hetero Drugs for the production of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) as part of its continued efforts to increase and speed up availability of the medicine for influenza pandemic plan
Amid reports of bird flu cases in India, Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs on Saturday said it has got an order from the Centre for an additional two lakh capsules of Tamiflu.
The central government's decision to continue controlling supply of the swine flu drug, oseltamivir, will help the drug innovator, Swiss multinational Hoffmann-La Roche, and its Indian licencee, Hetero Drugs, maintain their effective monopoly in the country, even as the drug lacks patent protection in India, fear domestic industry circles.
India plans to increase stockpiles of the anti-influenza drug Tamiflu or its generic version by 10-fold, from one million to 10 million currently, Bloomberg reported, citing Vineet Choudhary, joint secretary, Ministry of Health.
Hetero is the only Indian partner of multinational drug major Roche Scientific for the manufacture and supply of the latter's patented drug, Tamilflu in developing countries.
Under the partnership, Bharat Biotech will use the patented virus like particle technology platform of Novavax to develop the single dosage pandemic influenza vaccine and undertake clinical trials before manufacturing and marketing the same.\n\n
Hetero Drugs, the Hyderabad-based active pharmaceutical ingredients and finished dosages manufacturer, has set up an equal stakes joint venture with Russian pharmaceutical major Makiz Pharma.
As many as 15 companies across the world have lined up generic variants of Pfizer's Zoloft (Sertaline HCL), for which the exclusive six-month marketing period granted to the successful patent challenger, Teva of Israel, ends on Tuesday.
Two pharma majors Novartis and Wockhardt have adopted 'wait and watch' policy with regard to opposition over the yet to be granted patent to their respective drugs.
Hyderabad-based pharma company Hetero Drugs Ltd said on Monday that it had been chosen by the Clinton Research Foundation as one of the four Indian pharmaceutical companies.
Contests patent application for Nadifloxacin along with Hyderabad's Hetero.
Pharmaceutical companies, which are sending across medical aid for flood affected people in Jammu and Kashmir, claim to be facing difficulties in distribution of drugs.
The 30-share Sensex ended down 30.30 points at 28,161.72 and the 50-share Nifty dipped 7.95 points at 8,543.
The country had the third-largest number of people living with disease.
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