Govt to float fresh tender for drug today

Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Cipla has decided to make Zanamivir, the one drug other than Oseltamivir known to be effective in treating avian influenza, even as the government is ready to float a fresh tender tomorrow to procure Oseltamivir.

The fresh tender will add 50,000 dosages to the stock of 100,000 dosages already procured.

Zanamivir is currently manufactured and commercialised by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) the world over as Relenza.

"We are working on the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for Zanamivir and are about to apply for marketing approval. The process can take a couple of months," Cipla's Joint Managing Director Amar Lulla told Business Standard. Cipla is already manufacturing Oseltamivir, while Ranbaxy is soon following suit.

So far, the government has only procured from Hyderabad-based Hetero Drugs and Swiss pharma company Roche, which has the patents on Oseltamivir and sells it under the brand Tamiflu.

"We will buy it from any good company," Health Secretary P K Hota said, adding that no retailing of Oseltamivir would be allowed as it was a prescription drug, not advisable for paediatric indications.

Zanamivir was discovered by Biota Holdings and licensed to GSK, which received the Drug Controller General of India's permission to import a week ago. Once the manufacturing facility is registered, GSK can sell the drug in India.

"Although we are ramping up capacity in our European manufacturing facility, the demand may outstrip supply in the short term," said a GSK spokesperson.

However, on licensing of the drug, he said the international management will decide that.

The department of animal husbandry has pegged the culling compensation at Rs 40 per kg for every broiler chicken and Rs 10 for chicks.

So far, 26,000 birds have been culled in Gujarat, with as many due tonight, and 70,000 in Maharashtra, where the operation is more or less complete.

Cipla's stock closed the day at Rs 542.15, 2.45 per cent higher than yesterday. However, poultry major Venky's (India) slipped 6.74 per cent to close at Rs 144.55.