March 17, 2006

Indonesia appoints state pharmaceutical company to supply Tamiflu
 

In a bid to reduce human deaths due to bird flu, Indonesia's government has appointed state pharmaceutical company Indofarma to supply 12 million Tamiflu tablets nationwide.

Indofarma said it would produce 7 million Tamiflu tablets and import another 5 million from India. Production will start either in July or August this year.

According to the company, the drugs would cost the government Rp112 billion (about US$12 million).

So far, Indonesia has reported 22 human deaths due to bird flu.

Erna Tresnaningsih Suharsa, a senior official at the Health Ministry's department of research and development, expressed the need for joint bird flu research with other countries.

Suharsa added that a ministry official was already in Vietnam to discuss the possibility of a regional centre to study the disease.

Meanwhile, agriculture authorities in Guangzhou, China's Guangdong province, will give out rings to be worn on the feet of chickens sold at local markets. The rings of different colours and codes will represent different sources where the chickens originate from, and signify that the animals have passed bird flu inspections.