Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Good news about Tamiflu

Looks like giant corporations are prepared every so often to bow to common sense in the face of potential pandemics:
The main producer of Tamiflu, the drug thought to be the best defence against a flu pandemic caused by bird flu, has agreed a deal with the drug's inventor over worldwide production, the two companies said on Wednesday.
Basically this agreement will allow for greater supply of the drug, which will still probably be highly limited although it won't be quite so bad anymore. Additionally, they've made it easier for other 3rd party companies to manufacture the drug. While this isn't going to prevent a pandemic by itself it's a good decision and shows that companies can decide to disregard pure profits every so often.