Bird flu fears send drug sales soaring
The maker of a key bird flu drug said today that sales of the treatment had more than doubled as countries stocked up ahead of a possible pandemic.
Swiss firm Roche said sales of Tamiflu, which is seen as the best treatment for bird flu, soared to 279 million Swiss francs (€179m) in its third quarter.
A number of countries have been stockpiling the antiviral drug, helping Roche report a 17% hike in group revenues in the three months to the end of September.
The firm produces more than 100 million capsules of Tamiflu a year and has already expanded its production capacity several times. It said today that it would take action to further boost production.
Since 2003, around 120 people worldwide have been diagnosed with the potentially lethal H5N1 bird flu strain, leading to 60 deaths.
Experts believe it is inevitable that a pandemic will emerge.
In March, the UK's Department of Health announced the purchase of 14.6 million courses of Tamiflu.
Broker Merrill Lynch said the Tamiflu sales figures were ahead of its forecasts.
Worldwide, Roche employs around 65,000 staff in 150 countries.
