Swine flu: Hetero Healthcare increases Fluvir prodn by 400 pc

City-based Hetero Healthcare Limited, the first pharma company in India to launch anti-H1N1 drug Oseltamivir in retail market, today said it has increased its Fluvir production by 400 per cent to address the present swine flu outbreak across the country.
Considering the gravity of the present swine flu situation where more than 930 deaths have already been recorded, Hetero is taking all necessary steps to meet the demand of Fluvir across the country on a priority basis, Hetero said in a press release.
Hetero is the only Indian pharmaceutical company to have the licensing rights from Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd to manufacture and supply Oseltamivir in India as well as in other 100 underdeveloped and developing countries.

Fluvir is the first Oseltamivir drug launched in Indian retail market.
Hetero has dedicated manufacturing facilities at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh exclusively to produce the drug. It is fully prepared with adequate raw materials and manufacturing capacities to meet the demand of Fluvir to treat millions of swine flu patients, the company said.
Hetero's Marketing Director Srinivas Reddy said the production of Fluvir has been increased significantly to meet the challenge of the availability of swine flu drugs across India.
"We are also very happy to launch the swine flu helpline number to help the people across India. The helpline along with our other measures would definitely play a very important role in addressing the present swine flu situation in India. With our manufacturing facilities for Fluvir, we will be able to deliver sufficient number of doses to treat more than 20 million people in an emergency situation," he explained.