Study confirms need to stockpile oseltamivir as a management strategy for the
                                next pandemic

    WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- InterScience Conference on
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Washington DC, 2nd November
2004 -- New data presented confirm that oseltamivir (Tamiflu), an oral
neuraminidase inhibitor (NAI), is effective against the human H5N1 and avian
H5N1 influenza virus.(1) Since the influenza virus is constantly mutating,
today´s is the first data to show oseltamivir to be effective against this
highly pathogenic strain, which is currently circulating in Vietnam and
Thailand. A total of 44 cases of human infection -- of which 32 have been
fatal -- have been detected since January.(2) These data are particularly
important as avian influenza strains, such as H5N1, are considered by experts
to be the most likely source of a pandemic strain, against which older
antivirals are not effective.
    Oseltamivir has previously been proven effective in the management of an
outbreak of the H7N7 avian strain in the Netherlands in 2003, which infected
around one thousand people. Oseltamivir was found to protect infected poultry
workers from contracting the virus, where mouth and nose masks did not. The
efficacy of oseltamivir suggests it has a potential role in the management of
the H5N1 outbreak, and in future avian influenza epidemics.
    "These new data and the experience in the Netherlands add to previous
studies by the WHO and the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in
the US, and suggest that oseltamivir can be expected to be effective against
any mutating influenza virus -- which is the key to a pandemic," comments
Professor John Oxford, Barts and The London, Queen Mary´s School of Medicine
and Dentistry, London, UK, who led today´s research. "Current estimates
suggest that over one million people could lose their lives in the next
pandemic, however, for the first time in human history, we could alleviate
this devastating effect by the use of antiviral drugs such as oseltamivir."
    The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that, in a pandemic, it
could take up to 12 months for a vaccine matching the pandemic strain to be
developed and distributed, and recommends that antivirals such as oseltamivir
are stockpiled by governments in advance.
    "Since antivirals such as oseltamivir can be stockpiled, we are in a
strong position to ensure that we are prepared for the next pandemic --
however, few governments have adequate stock. Since oseltamivir can take up to
a year to produce, I urge governments to follow WHO guidance and ensure that
stockpiles of antivirals are assembled in good time to ensure they can protect
their citizens until a vaccine is developed," concludes Professor John Oxford.

    Notes to Editors
    About Retroscreen Virology Ltd
    Established 12 years ago, Retro Screen Virology is a biotechnology company
affiliated to Queen Mary, University of London. Employing 20 people,
RetroScreen specialises in laboratory and clinic-based respiratory virology
research.

    Queen Mary, University of London
    Queen Mary is the fourth largest of the Colleges of the University of
London. Its roots lie in four historic colleges: Queen Mary College, Westfield
College, St Bartholomew´s Hospital Medical College and the London Hospital
Medical College. Pooling strengths, expertise and resources, Queen Mary is now
fully integrated. The College currently has over 10,000 undergraduate and
postgraduate students, with an academic and support staff of around 2,600. It
is organised into four faculties of Arts; Engineering and Mathematical
Sciences; Law and Social Sciences; and Natural Sciences, and Barts and The
London, Queen Mary´s School of Medicine and Dentistry. It is a research
university, with over 80% of research staff working in departments where
research is of international or national excellence (RAE 2001), and has a
strong international reputation, with over 20 per cent of students coming from
over 100 countries.

    About Antivirals
    Neuraminidase inhibitors, such as oseltamivir, work by blocking the action
of the neuraminidase enzyme on the surface of the virus. When neuraminidase is
inhibited, the virus is not able to spread to and infect other cells in the
body. Neuraminidase inhibitors are effective -- in contrast to the older
antivirals, such as M2 inhibitors, against both influenza A and B viruses.

    Oseltamivir, the only orally available NAI, is designed to be active
against all clinically relevant influenza viruses,(3) and has demonstrated:

     -- 38 percent reduction in the severity of symptoms(3)
     -- 67 percent reduction in secondary complications such as bronchitis,
        pneumonia and sinusitis in otherwise healthy individuals(4)
     -- 37 percent reduction in the duration of influenza illness(5)
        Oseltamivir was shown to provide up to 89 percent overall protective

        efficacy against clinical influenza in adults and adolescents who had
        been in close contact with influenza-infected patients(6)

    In children, Tamiflu delivers:
     -- 36 percent reduction in the severity and duration of influenza
        symptoms(7)
     -- 44 percent reduced incidence of associated otitis media as compared to

        standard care(8)

    References:

     1. Oxford J et al. Antiviral Activity of Oseltamivir Carboxylate Against
        a Human Isolate of the current H5N1 chicken strain. Poster 3839,
        presented at the InterScience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and
        Chemotherapy (ICAAC), Washington DC, USA on 31 October 2004

     2. http://www.who.int/csr/don/2004_10_04/en/

     3. Treanor JJ et al. Efficacy and safety of the oral neuraminidase
        inhibitor oseltamivir in treating acute influenza: a randomized,
        controlled trial. JAMA 2000;283: 101624

     4. Kaiser et al. Impact of Oseltamivir treatment on influenza-related
        lower respiratory tract complications and hospitalisations. Arch
        Intern Med. 163:1667-1672 (2003)

     5. Nicholson KG et al. Efficacy and safety of oseltamivir in treatment of
        acute influenza: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2000; 355:1845
        1850
     6. Welliver R. W. et al. Effectiveness of oseltamivir in preventing
        influenza in household contacts: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA,
        2001 Feb 14; 285(6): 748-754

     7. Whitely RJ, Hayden FG et al; Oral oseltamivir treatment of influenza
        in children, Pediatr Infect Dis J 2000; 20: 122-133

     8.  Roche data on file, 2003

*F.I.C Moderator-Readers should be cautious about the above conclusion as the envidence provided in above report seems not to be conclusive and sufficient*