Swine flu: India on high alert, plans to stockpile 15 billion oseltamivir pills

The government of India went on high alert mode in preparation for the possibility of the deadly swine flu reaching the Indian shores, following the global outbreak.

India has stepped up its alertness and preparedness to prevent a swine flu outbreak across India, even though not even a single case of swine flu infection has been reported in the country so far.

The ministry of health and family welfare under the Union government has decided to contact all the flu drug suppliers in India – including Roche, Cipla, Ranbaxy, Hetero and Natco – to check the status and availability of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to prevent and treat swine-flu.

Indian government takes preventive measures against swine flu.

Plans stockpiling of Oseltamivir pills against potential swine flu epidemic

Cipla, Hetero and Natco Pharma also make Oseltamivir, generic version of Roche’s Tamiflu in India

The India government has already stored 1 million tablets and plans to raise it to 10 million in the next 15 days, according to reports.

Tamiflu, which is used worldwide to treat swine flu, is marketed by Swiss company Roche, in India. However, Roche was denied a patent for Tamiflu in India allowing Cipla to manufacture and sell generic version of oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

Mumbai-based Cipla had filed a pre grant opposition suit with the Indian Patent Office against the applicant Gilead alleging that Tamiflu did not have the inventive step or obviousness. Tamiflu is only a derivative and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates and derivatives, dissolved enantiomers and purified diastereomers in the claimed composition are clearly not patentable under section 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act. Thereafter, Gilead’s application was rejected by the Indian Patent Office.

Oseltamivir is generally available by prescription only.

The usual adult dosage for treatment of influenza is 75 mg twice daily for 5 days, beginning within 2 days of the appearance of symptoms and with decreased doses for children and patients with renal impairment.

Oseltamivir may be given as a preventive measure either during a community outbreak or following close contact with an infectedindividual. Standard prophylactic dosage is 75 mg once daily for patients aged 13 and older, which has been shown to be safe and effective for up to six weeks.

The importance of early treatment is that the NA protein inhibition is more effective within the first 48 hours. If the virus has replicated and infected many cells the effectiveness of this medication will be severely diminished, especially over time.

Cipla has already made it clear through a statement quoting its chief executive and joint managing director, Amar Lulla, stated that the company got the capability to supply 1.5 million dosages of the drug within four to six weeks.

Apart from Cipla, Hyderabad-based Hetero and Natco Pharma are the other Indian companies making the generic version of oseltamivir.

India has also asked the civil aviation ministry to be extra vigilant at airports to check any spread of the flu through inbound travellers. The immigration department has been asked to screen all foreign nationals who came to India in last 10 days.

The government has identified nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Cochin and Goa for screening foreign visitors  meeting, chaired by the health secretary, was attended by representatives of department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of civil aviation, ministry of home affairs, ministry of information & broadcasting, ministry of agriculture and the Drug Controller General of India.

Health Ministry has already issued an advisory to Indians against visiting to the flu-affected areas such as Mexico, US and Europe, reports said.

Swine flu was first detected in Mexico where it has claimed 150 lives so far. Caused by influenza Type A virus, it has since spread to parts of the US, Canada and Europe, and West Asia.