in a sudden turn-around, Roche Holding ag recently granted Hetero Drugs Limited (hdl), Hyderabad, a sub-licence to manufacture and market Oseltamivir (generic Tamiflu), one of the two effective drugs against bird flu.

This is the first time such a sub-licence has been granted under the new Indian patent legislation, 2005, which abides by the international patent laws. Roche has authorised hdl to manufacture both the active pharmaceutical ingredient and the finished product of generic Tamiflu for supply in India as well as in other developing countries and least developed countries.

Armed with the licence, hdl has committed to deliver one million capsules of Oseltamivir to the Indian government by January 15, 2006. It also hopes to carry out orders for least developed and developing countries from January 2006 onwards.

Following the Indian government's approval to manufacture and market generic Tamiflu, almost two-and-a-half years ago, hdl had begun investing in research and development of Oseltamivir. It is the only company in India which has advanced to the developed stage of the production process for the drug. hdl hopes that it will be able to offer scope for huge capacities that can fulfill the requirements of the Indian market.