I guess this is where it stands now (see bold):
If "Roche has graciously stepped up to the plate", why shouldn't Qualcomm "step up to the plate" and give their licenses to the world? Maybe health is different, but if I were a Roche shareholder, and the licenses don't allow them to get a return on their investment, it seems like a good reason to shut down R&D labs.
Schumer, Roche Statements
On Tamiflu-Licensing Pact
October 20, 2005 3:07 p.m.
U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, announced Thursday that Roche has agreed to sublicense production of Tamiflu to four generic drug makers and other companies that are capable of mass producing the drug to help prevent an avian flu pandemic in humans. Following is the text of the announcement:
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[Chuck Schumer]
U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer and Lindsey Graham today announced that Roche Pharmaceuticals was committed to meeting with four generic drug companies starting immediately to redouble their efforts to vastly increase supply of their Avian flu treatment by licensing production to more drug companies. Schumer has repeatedly called for Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, to immediately license the Avian Flu treatment to other drug companies in order to dramatically increase production. Schumer and Graham announced this deal after meeting with George Abercrombie, CEO of Roche Pharmaceuticals North America.
Schumer stated, "Roche has graciously stepped up to the plate, and has essentially agreed to share its technology and the rights to manufacture this drug with other companies who are willing to help out."
The tenets of the deal that Schumer and Graham announced with Roche are:
• Schumer provided the names of four companies to Mr. George Abercrombie, the CEO of Roche in the United States. These companies -- Teva Pharmaceuticals, Barr Laboratories, Mylan Laboratories, and Ranbaxy Laboratories -- each believe they can produce more Tamiflu if given the chance, and want to step up to serve the global public health need by working in cooperation with Roche.
• Roche has agreed to meet with each of these companies as soon as possible -- and indeed will begin meeting with additional companies immediately, also in cooperation with HHS, which may have additional companies in mind as well.
• Roche has agreed to sublicense the production of Tamiflu to any of these companies that can produce it in quantities large enough to help meet the anticipated demand in case of a flu outbreak, and the determination as to who gets licensed will be made in cooperation with the U.S. Government and other governments around the world.
• Roche will make reasonable efforts to work with companies who demonstrate appropriate capabilities to manufacture Tamiflu in order to accelerate product supply.
• For companies eligible for a sublicense, Roche agrees to negotiate equitable terms.
Tamiflu is the only known effective treatment for avian flu, and Roche holds the exclusive rights to manufacturing it. One company simply cannot handle all the demand when tens and hundreds of millions of doses are being ordered.
Schumer expects Roche to continue working with these companies until the bottleneck of supply for government stockpiling purposes has been relieved, at which point they may regain their status as sole manufacturer. The purpose here is not to break the patent on Tamiflu, but rather to meet an emergency need for quantities of this drug that Roche itself simply cannot do alone.
"Roche has come a great distance in the best interests of the global public health, truly dedicating their efforts to protecting human life rather than focusing on their bottom line," Schumer concluded.
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Following is the text of a statement released by George Abercrombie, president and CEO of Roche North America, after meeting with Sens. Schumer and Graham:
We appreciate the leadership that Senator Schumer and Senator Graham have shown in helping the U.S. be more prepared for a possible avian flu pandemic.
We discussed with them today our previously announced intention to meet with companies that may be able to assist in manufacturing additional supplies of Tamiflu.
I reiterated to the senators Roche's commitment to do whatever is needed to prepare for a pandemic. We at Roche recognize the global health emergency posed by the threat of an avian flu pandemic, and we understand that as the manufacturer of Tamiflu we play a central role in preparedness.
We continue to take the steps necessary to protect the health of people on a world-wide basis, and to make Tamiflu available wherever it is needed for both seasonal influenza and pandemic stockpiling. We already have expanded dramatically our own production capability and continue to make significant investments both internally and with partner companies.
Roche has an internal high-level team in place that is dedicated to assessing the ability of other companies and partners to either produce or provide capabilities in Tamiflu production. We want to be sure that they can produce substantial amounts of Tamiflu for pandemic use in a timely manner in accordance with appropriate quality specifications, safety and regulatory guidelines. |
