A Chinese drug company by the name of Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group Corp has unveiled detailed plans to manufacture and sell Tamiflu the bird flu medication by the end of June according to a press release from Shanghai Securities. The firm has sought and has been given the official approval which is required from the State Food & Drug Administration in order to manufacture the Tamiflu drug. If all plans go as forecasted the drug will be on sale by the finish of June and will aim to alleviate the shortage of the Tamiflu drug in China.

The patent for Tamiflu is held by Roche Pharmaceuticals in Switzerland and when the bird flu panic started to grip the world it became obvious that Roche would not be able to meet worldwide demand and that it would need help with strategic partners to boost the output of the drug. Roche has given out licences to various drug manufacturers to produce the drug and Shanghai Pharmaceutical is one of them. Roche has also given away millions of Tamiflu doses to the World Health Organisation so that they can be sent to places that suffer from sudden outbreaks of the deadly disease. 

Many people and organisations hoarded the original batches of the drug either in panic or to try and make a quick buck and this compounded the shortages of Tamiflu. The good news is that the locally made Tamiflu in China will sell for 50% less than the Tamiflu from Roche and this will help the local population buy it for their families.

Tamiflu is probably the most effective drug for humans in defence of the H5N1 bird flu virus. The virus is still very rare in humans but should it mutate into a more virulent form the virus could be as contagious as the common cold and that would have devastating consequences for those not equipped to deal with it.