Roche.(oseltamivir phosphate)

Chemical Market Reporter, August, 2000

ROCHE has submitted Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) to the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare for regulatory approval for A and B influenza virus infection in adults, including both treatment and prophylaxis. The medication targets one of two major surface structures on the virus, the neuraminidase protein.

Roche says Japan provides a significant marketing opportunity for Tamiflu. Over a three-month period in 1999, more than 1,200 people in that country died from influenza and its complications. The product is already available in the US, Canada and many Latin American countries.