Publicité
Researchers find new way to make Tamiflu
A team of Japanese researchers has developed a new way of producing the anti-flu drug Tamiflu that does not rely on natural ingredients and may help ensure more stable supplies, the head of the team said. Tamiflu, produced by Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG, is considered one of the best defenses against bird flu in humans, and there are fears of a possible shortage in the event of a global flu pandemic.
In a finding that may eventually lessen risks of a shortage, Professor Masakatsu Shibasaki of the University of Tokyo?s Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences said his team had found a way to make Tamiflu without using shikimic acid, which is produced from a spice called star anise.
The new method may also make it easier to develop new medications if drug-resistant influenza viruses emerge, he said. Shibasaki said his team?s findings were still at the stage of basic research conducted in university laboratories, and further research would be needed for it to be ready for practical use.?If things go well, I hope we may be able to pave the way toward giving supplies to society in around two years,? Shibasaki said, adding that he would soon submit a paper on his team?s findings to the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
According to the World Health Organization, 94 people in Asia and the Middle East have been killed by the H5N1 bird flu virus since it re-emerged in late 2003.
Although humans at present contract avian flu only through close contact with infected birds, there are fears the virus could mutate into a form that passes easily from person to person, sparking a pandemic in which millions could die.
Publicité
Publicité
Les plus récents
