Roche has announced that it has completed the evaluation of around 200 third parties interested in helping with the manufacture of Tamiflu. Twelve potential partners have been identified whose addition to Roche's Global Tamiflu Supply Network will enhance available supply. Roche also announced that it has granted a sub-license for China to Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group.

William M. Burns, CEO Roche Pharma Division, commented: "Following our open invitation to third parties we have established a short list of partners who can be ready to expand the capacity beyond 300 million treatments annually by 2007. As yet we have not identified anyone who could significantly speed up the agreed delivery timelines for the first half of 2006, but we have been able to identify partners to insure against breakdowns in supply and partners to broaden geographic coverage. Based on the current orders we have received from governments around the world our capacity to produce 300 million treatments by 2007 is significantly ahead of demand."

Roche and Shanghai Pharmaceutical Group have signed the first sub-licensing agreement for the overall production of oseltamivir for pandemic use in China. Roche is also in negotiations for local partnerships in other countries.

After systematic screening, Roche production experts started detailed negotiations with twelve companies who met the defined criteria in terms of quality, technical ability, capacity and the speed of bringing that capacity on stream. These companies include major pharmaceutical companies, large generic manufacturers and specialty chemical producers. Roche is now actively engaged in discussions about technology transfers and commercial terms with this shortlist of companies.

"The skills of the different companies offering their services have been thoroughly evaluated by our technical team in recent weeks. As we have surveyed the applications we have focused our attention on how our specialist production team together with each contributing company can further advance global supply," commented Jan van Koeveringe, Head of Pharma Global Technical Operations.

Roche offers a tiered pricing system for the sale of Tamiflu with significant reductions for pandemic use. These lower prices are further reduced for less developed countries.

Roche has also pledged to donate 3 million treatments to the WHO as a rapid response stockpile for use at the epicentre of a pandemic. This amount, according to experts, could contain or slow down the spread of a potential pandemic at the source of the outbreak, if delivered rapidly.

Roche continues the collaboration with WHO as they prepare for the "Donor Conference" in January 2006.

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