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TOP GOVERNMENT meeting on Tuesday to take stock of India's preparedness to combat the swine flu outbreak ravaging Mexico and parts of US has decided to stock up on antiviral tablets besides stepping up vigil at nine airports and screening foreigners who have entered India in the past 10 days.
Swine flu, caused by influenza Type A virus, was first detected in Mexico where it has claimed 150 lives so far. It has since spread to parts of the US, Canada and Europe, and on Tuesday, the first confirmation in West Asia came from Israel.
In India, the antiviral drug Tamiflu, set to bw used worldwide to treat swine flu, is marketed by Swiss company Roche, but its patent application was rejected last month, enabling Indian companies to make its generic version.
The ministry of health and family welfare will ask drug makers such as Ranbaxy, Cipla, Hetero, Natco Pharmaceuticals and Roche to keep stocks of the antiviral ready to tackle any emergency in the country, a ministry official told ET.
No case of swine flu infection has been reported in the country, but the government has already stored 1 million tablets and plans to raise it to 10 million in the next 15 days, said the official who didn't want to be named.
Cipla joint managing director Amar Lulla said his company had resources to make the drug. "It depends how much time we have to supply the medicine," he said.
Roche MD Girish Telang said a senior official from the department of pharmaceuticals had called to check the availability of the anti-flu drug. Airports on alert, to screen foreigners
THE government has also asked the civil aviation ministry to be extra vigilant at airports to check any spread of the flu through inbound travellers. The immigration department has been asked to screen all foreign nationals who came to India in last 10 days. A ministry official confirmed the government has identified nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Cochin and Goa for screening foreign visitors.
Tuesday's meeting, chaired by the health secretary, was attended by representatives of department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of civil aviation, ministry of home affairs, ministry of information & broadcasting, ministry of agriculture and the Drug Controller General of India.
Health ministry has already issued an advisory to Indians against visiting to the flu-affected areas such as Mexico, US and Europe.
Swine flu, caused by influenza Type A virus, was first detected in Mexico where it has claimed 150 lives so far. It has since spread to parts of the US, Canada and Europe, and on Tuesday, the first confirmation in West Asia came from Israel.
In India, the antiviral drug Tamiflu, set to bw used worldwide to treat swine flu, is marketed by Swiss company Roche, but its patent application was rejected last month, enabling Indian companies to make its generic version.
The ministry of health and family welfare will ask drug makers such as Ranbaxy, Cipla, Hetero, Natco Pharmaceuticals and Roche to keep stocks of the antiviral ready to tackle any emergency in the country, a ministry official told ET.
No case of swine flu infection has been reported in the country, but the government has already stored 1 million tablets and plans to raise it to 10 million in the next 15 days, said the official who didn't want to be named.
Cipla joint managing director Amar Lulla said his company had resources to make the drug. "It depends how much time we have to supply the medicine," he said.
Roche MD Girish Telang said a senior official from the department of pharmaceuticals had called to check the availability of the anti-flu drug. Airports on alert, to screen foreigners
THE government has also asked the civil aviation ministry to be extra vigilant at airports to check any spread of the flu through inbound travellers. The immigration department has been asked to screen all foreign nationals who came to India in last 10 days. A ministry official confirmed the government has identified nine airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Cochin and Goa for screening foreign visitors.
Tuesday's meeting, chaired by the health secretary, was attended by representatives of department of pharmaceuticals, ministry of civil aviation, ministry of home affairs, ministry of information & broadcasting, ministry of agriculture and the Drug Controller General of India.
Health ministry has already issued an advisory to Indians against visiting to the flu-affected areas such as Mexico, US and Europe.
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