Multi Nationals Drug Companies - Attitudes Beyond Belief
The threat of the world bird flu decimating the earth’s population has had one unexpected side effect. We can now see how the multi national drug companies think and view their consumers.
Roche manufacturers one of the drugs that seems to be effective in the treatment of the illness in humans but they can’t manufacture enough of the drug to meet the projected demand if the disease does mutate into the human population. So with the very real threat of a huge death toll if the disease does spread to us is Roche doing anything to release the drug’s formula to other manufacturers so that they can help meet the huge demand?
Well yes and no - they have licenced four generic drug manufacturers to produce the drug but even that is not enough. And they are obviously more interested in making money from the situation than really helping.
Taiwan announced over the weekend that they had given up trying to negotiate a deal with Roche and were going to produce the drug without any form of licence from Roche.
Here in Australia, where there is a Roche plant and it does produce the all important drug, we have been told that there will be no guarantees that the drug will be supplied to Australia first. Instead Roche are taking the high moral ground and saying that the drug will be distributed world-wide.
Nice one Roche; Australia gives you the tax breaks and the skilled workforce that you need to make your grubby millions but you aren’t interested in repaying us when the hard times come.
