India boosts oseltamivir stockpile to 30 million doses; buys another 900,000 swine flu pills from Ranbaxy

Deaths from H1N1 swine flu touched 100 in India

Indian government has initaited a major boost to its oseltamivir stock pile even as the death toll of H1N1 influenza A or swine flu has touched the 100 mark.

H1N1 virus causing swine has continued to affect several parts of the country killing 100 (as on 31st sept 2009) and infecting nearly four thousand people.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has cautioned of a second wave of the H1N1 epidemic in the northern hemisphere as winter sets in this part of the world in the coming months.

The health department, which was maintaining an oseltamivir stockpile of 10 million doses, has already exhausted or decentralized over 7.5 million capsules to distribute them to the H1N1 infected states.

Now the health ministry plans to buy another 20 million doses of oseltamivir soon for its reserve. The government has alerted and asked the domestic companies like Ranbaxy Labs, Cipla, Natco Pharma, Strides Arcolab, Hetero Drugs and Roche India to be ready to supply for an order of 20 million capsules at short notice.

On september 1, Daiichi Ranbaxy Laboratories got orders from the Centre to supply 900,000 doses of oseltamivir- the generic version of Roche’s anti-viral Tamiflu – used to treat the H1N1 flu, a Ranbaxy spokesman said.

Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab also bagged a contract order from the Ministry of Health, Government of India for supply of 7.40 lakh doses of oseltamivir capsules, a day ago to tackle the emergency situation arising out of H1N1 pandemic outbreak in the country, as part of its second round of oseltmavir procurement to bolster the drug stockpile. (See related story)

Earlier, India government had procured around 9 million doses of oseltamivir from Hetero Drugs, the only domestic company that has a manufacturing agreement with Roche to make the low cost version of the patented version.

The health ministry also gave order to Roche for another one million doses of oseltamivir to complete its 10 million doses drug reserve.

The government is procuring oseltamivir at around Rs 280 for a pack of 10 tablets.

The health ministry is also considering to stockpile zanamivir (Relenza) –the alternative therapy available in the market against H1N1 swineflu.

Relenza has been recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the alternative drug for the treatment of swine flu as in some cases the virus has shown resistance to the drug.

The maker of zanamivir, UK-based drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is in currently talks with the Indian government for introducing its patented drug, Relenza.

Till now, Relenza has not been recommended for patients in India.GSK is currently not manufacturing the drug in India but it is supplying the drug to many countries across the globe and is also in the process of increasing its manufacturing capacity for the drug. GSK and Biota have the patent over the drug till 2014.

The first case of swine flu in the country was reported in May, and the first death in early August. Globally, swine flu has resulted in more than 2,100 deaths.

The central government has already despatched 85 lakh capsules from its oseltamivir stockpile across the country to treat people with the flu and these stocks can treat 8.5 lakh people, helath ministry officials said.

Private players, including diagnostic laboratories and hospitals, besides the pharma companies are also being roped in by the government to supply generic oseltamivir.