August 4, 2006

Thailand to produce anti-bird flu drug

Thailand has stepped up efforts to produce its own version of an antiviral drug to fight bird flu, with lab tests to be completed by November, a senior pharmaceutical official said Wednesday (Aug 2).

Thailand is importing the GPO-A-Flu, a recipe for bird-flu from India as a stopgap measure while the kingdom develops its own version, Mongkol Jiwasantikarn, director of the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, said.

Although the recipe is meant for curing humans, Thailand considers it the best anti-viral drug to fight bird flu, Mongkol said.

Meanwhile, a team of researchers at the country's Chulalongkorn University, in collaboration with the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC) claimed to have successfully produced oseltamivir phosphate, a generic version of anti-bird flu medicine in laboratory tests.

Oseltamivir is a major ingredient of Tamiflu, the world's best known anti-flu drug. 

Although Thailand's version would not be in the market until November, it could be used immediately if a pandemic breaks out, he said.

Thailand confirmed a new outbreak of the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu in chickens which on Jul 24 killed a teenager, the country's 15th bird flu fatality since early 2004.