MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile seeks access to bird flu drug

Chile is seeking to ease patent restrictions on a drug used to inhibit the effects of the bird flu virus, President Ricardo Lagos said yesterday.

??We are asking the international organizations that, in the event of a pandemic, the trade mark rights be suspended so all laboratories capable of making the antiviral will be free to make it,'' Lagos said.

Speaking at a ceremony inaugurating a medical centre at a working class neighbourhood here, Lagos appeared to refer to the antiviral Tamiflu, made by Swiss-based Roche Holding AG, although he did not elaborate.

Health Minister Pedro García said that while Tamiflu, the most effective drug in treating bird flu, is covered by patent rights, ??these rights cannot, under any circumstance, subordinate the well being of the population.''

Tamiflu has virtually disappeared from drug store shelves in Chile amid a spike in worldwide demand, despite its high price for local standards ? 25,000 pesos (US$47). Garcia was to join health officials from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela today in Lima to coordinate a plan against the bird flu threat.

The Chilean government has announced a plan to face a potential pandemic of the bird flu, which would include massive vaccinations of fowl industry workers and severe border controls.

The minister said Chile has some advantages against the threat of the flu, including its geographic position ? isolated by the Andes and the ocean ? and the fact that it does not import any fowl.

Lagos recalled that Chile successfully controlled a bird flu outbreak in 2002. ??We were able to do that in six months,'' he said.

Peru's Health Minister Pilar Mazzetti said a contingency plan was being set up at Lima's Jorge Chávez International Airport to quarantine any arriving passengers suffering symptoms of bird flu.

One topic will be an alert system so that if any strain of bird flu breaches one country's border, ??we will all know as soon as possible to take measures, unite all the monitoring systems and see how we will act as a bloc,'' he said.

Peru Health Ministry spokesman John Castro said all the foreign health ministers had confirmed their attendance for today's meeting. ??It has been recommended that they come with someone from their nations responsible for agriculture,'' who normally deal with policies controlling the poultry industry, he added.

The meeting will also deal with the purchase of medicines because ??it is easier if six nations buy than just one, which is more expensive,'' he added. (Buenos Aires Herald)