BASEL (AFP)--The swine flu virus has set the laboratories and
factories of Swiss pharmaceutical giants working all-out in the
difficult search for vaccines and the race for other
treatments.
Novartis AG (NVS), among the laboratories charged with
developing a vaccine against the flu, says governments are queuing
up with advance orders, while Roche Holding SG (RHHBY) says growing
demand for its anti-viral drug Tamiflu has boosted profits.
Novartis is set to start clinical trials this month and hopes to
make the vaccine available to the public in the northern
hemisphere's autumn.
A spokesman for the group said it has seen "good progress" in
developing a vaccine against the new strain of the Type A/H1N1 flu
virus, but warned that producing it is turning out to be more
difficult than expected.
Novartis has "started the production of this antigen on a big
scale in all its sites in Europe" but "the yield has been weaker
than expected," meaning it will take longer to produce its target
volumes of vaccines, he said.
At the moment, this target is set at 150 million doses of the
vaccine a year, but Novartis said the number can't be confirmed
until after clinical trials.
These will monitor how trial patients respond to the vaccine and
whether a single injection is sufficient, according to the World
Health Organisation.
Others working on a vaccine include the U.K. company
GlaxoSmithKline, or GSK, and the U.S. firm Baxter International
Inc. (BAX).
The WHO said vaccine manufacturers are all "continuing to
improve yields", which are currently at 25% to 50% of the typical
yields of seasonal flu vaccines.
"Novartis has received several orders of the H1N1 vaccine during
its negotiations with over 35 governments," said the group, adding
that the American government has signed two contracts totalling
$979 million.
Other orders have been made by France, the Netherlands and
Switzerland, said the spokesman, without revealing the value of the
contracts.
Governments are also ramping up their anti-viral stocks amid the
pandemic.
Another Swiss pharma giant, Roche, has profited lately from
unexpected demand for its drug Tamiflu.
Tamiflu is one of two medications recommended by the WHO to
treat infections of Type A/H1N1 flu. The other is Relenza, made by
GSK.
Sales of Tamiflu soared to CHF1 billion ($933 million) in the
first half of the year, with a jump of 1,510% in Japan and 869%in
Europe.
Roche expects to rake in the same amount in the second half of
the year, bringing total sales of Tamiflu in 2009 to CHF2 billion,
the group's chief executive Severin Schwan forecast.
The group is also increasing production of the drug to reach an
annual capacity of 110 million treatment courses by October, a
spokeswoman said.
If necessary, the group can ramp up production across its 19
factories to its maximum capacity of 400 million treatments a year
by 2010, a huge increase after it produced only 300 million over
the past five years.
The group, whose net profit shot up 11% to CHF5.2 billion in the
first half of 2009, has promised not to show favouritism in the
distribution of the medication.
"First come, first served," said the head of its pharmaceutical
division William Burns, stressing that big powerful nations
wouldn't be privileged at the expense of smaller countries.