Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., China's biggest drugmaker, has contacted Tamiflu maker Roche about making the antiviral drug, believed to be the best defense against a possible flu pandemic, a Roche spokeswoman said.

Roche Holding AG's spokeswoman in Shanghai, Xu Chao, said Tuesday Shanghai Pharmaceutical had been in touch about producing Tamiflu. She gave no further details, saying the company would issue a press release later.

The person authorized to handle media comments for State-owned Shanghai Pharmaceutical was not available Tuesday, staff at the company's headquarters in downtown Shanghai said.

The news followed reports that Roche was discussing production of Tamiflu in China, raising hopes global production could be boosted amid worries supplies will fall short of what is needed in case of a flu pandemic.

Basel, Switzerland-based Roche has been inundated with requests from other pharmaceutical companies for licenses to produce Tamiflu. The company announced earlier that it expects to increase production by up to 10-fold by mid-2006.

Health authorities are hoping to boost stockpiles of Tamiflu in case the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu spreading from Asia to Europe mutates into a form that can pass easily to and between people, setting off a human flu pandemic before a vaccine can be developed.

(Shenzhen Daily November 3, 2005)