Disconcerting news from the subcontinent. “Right or wrong, we’re going to commercialize and make oseltamivir,” (Oseltamivir is the generic name of Tamiflu) said Dr. Yusuf K. Hamied, chairman of Cipla of Bombay. Well, since you asked, it’s wrong. It’s IP theft. It’s trading profit today for health care innovations tomorrow. It’s profiteering. According to Roche, making the drug involves 10 complex steps and would take another company “two to three years, starting from scratch,” to produce it. Dr. Hamied dismissed that claim, saying that he initially thought it would be too hard but that his scientists had finished reverse-engineering the drug in his laboratories two weeks ago. Dr. Hamied said he would sell generic Tamiflu “at a humanitarian price” in developing nations and not aim at the American or European market. I wonder if this includes Illinois?
Flu the Looking Glass
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.
