The threat posed by bird flu may just have receded a little. The Indian company Cipla says it will begin marketing a generic version of the antiviral drug oseltamivir, better known as Tamiflu, by December and will be able to make a million 10-capsule courses of treatment per month by next July. The drug is one of the few that can block replication of the H5N1 virus, potentially preventing the illness from becoming fatal. The move had been opposed by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, which holds the patent on Tamiflu. But this week, in a dramatic turnaround, Roche said it would not oppose companies that want to strike a licensing deal.
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