Snowy Owl
Retired in 2010, In Memoriam
Indonesia claims ownership over strain of avian flu
AM - Thursday, 1 February , 2007 08:24:00
Reporter: Geoff Thompson
TONY EASTLEY: Just who owns a disease?
The Indonesian Government believes it's got ownership over its strain of avian flu and it's upset about a new bird flu vaccine developed by an Australian drug company.
Indonesia's Health Minister, Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian strain of H5N1 is Indonesia's intellectual property, but it's been used by the Australian company, CSL, without Indonesia's permission.
The Minister spoke to our Indonesia Correspondent Geoff Thompson.
GEOFF THOMPSON: New hope in the fight against bird flu arrived this week, when Australia's biggest pharmaceuticals company, CSL announced that it has successfully developed a bird flu vaccine which could begin manufacture within six weeks once approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The vaccine was developed using the Indonesian strain of the H5N1 virus. Indonesia believes the Australian Government funded CSL, should have first asked Indonesia's permission before developing the new vaccine.
Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian Government is developing its own vaccine with the American pharmaceutical company Baxter, and is in the process of applying to protect its intellectual property rights to the Indonesian strain of H5N1.
SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I never gave permission to send a specimen of a virus to Australia.
GEOFF THOMPSON: And you think that that permission should've been asked for and it should've been granted by you?
SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I think so. I think so.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Dr Triono Soendoro is one of Indonesia's Deputy Health Ministers and Director-General of Indonesia's National Institute of Health Research and Development.
He says that if companies develop vaccines using the Indonesian strain of H5N1, Indonesia should be entitled to part of any profits made and be given access to the news drugs at cheaper prices.
TRIONO SOENDORO: We share the isolate, we shared the specimens but in return we would like Australia to share what? when you are putting? when you are using this for commercial use, for commercial purposes then we don't get anything for the commercial thing that the other people get benefit and it is the isolate from the Indonesian strain for designing that vaccine.
GEOFF THOMPSON: CSL spokeswoman Dr Rachel David says the company got the Indonesian strain of H5N1 from the World Health Organisation and did not develop the vaccine for commercial purposes, but under contract to the Australian Government.
RACHEL DAVID: The talk about strains of the flu as being something you can own is as? it's like trying to grasp smoke. It's not a useful concept in dealing with this disease.
In terms of whether CSL will make money, we already know what we're likely to make out of this vaccine because we provide it on contract to the Australian Government.
If and only if a pandemic flu was to become a problem, that particular amount of money that we've been paid in that contract is fixed, it's not something that we can profiteer out of and in fact it's not something that we see as being a commercial exercise at all.
TONY EASTLEY: CSL spokeswoman Dr Rachel David ending that report by Geoff Thompson.
AM - Thursday, 1 February , 2007 08:24:00
Reporter: Geoff Thompson
TONY EASTLEY: Just who owns a disease?
The Indonesian Government believes it's got ownership over its strain of avian flu and it's upset about a new bird flu vaccine developed by an Australian drug company.
Indonesia's Health Minister, Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian strain of H5N1 is Indonesia's intellectual property, but it's been used by the Australian company, CSL, without Indonesia's permission.
The Minister spoke to our Indonesia Correspondent Geoff Thompson.
GEOFF THOMPSON: New hope in the fight against bird flu arrived this week, when Australia's biggest pharmaceuticals company, CSL announced that it has successfully developed a bird flu vaccine which could begin manufacture within six weeks once approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration.
The vaccine was developed using the Indonesian strain of the H5N1 virus. Indonesia believes the Australian Government funded CSL, should have first asked Indonesia's permission before developing the new vaccine.
Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari has told the ABC that the Indonesian Government is developing its own vaccine with the American pharmaceutical company Baxter, and is in the process of applying to protect its intellectual property rights to the Indonesian strain of H5N1.
SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I never gave permission to send a specimen of a virus to Australia.
GEOFF THOMPSON: And you think that that permission should've been asked for and it should've been granted by you?
SITI FADILLAH SUPARI: I think so. I think so.
GEOFF THOMPSON: Dr Triono Soendoro is one of Indonesia's Deputy Health Ministers and Director-General of Indonesia's National Institute of Health Research and Development.
He says that if companies develop vaccines using the Indonesian strain of H5N1, Indonesia should be entitled to part of any profits made and be given access to the news drugs at cheaper prices.
TRIONO SOENDORO: We share the isolate, we shared the specimens but in return we would like Australia to share what? when you are putting? when you are using this for commercial use, for commercial purposes then we don't get anything for the commercial thing that the other people get benefit and it is the isolate from the Indonesian strain for designing that vaccine.
GEOFF THOMPSON: CSL spokeswoman Dr Rachel David says the company got the Indonesian strain of H5N1 from the World Health Organisation and did not develop the vaccine for commercial purposes, but under contract to the Australian Government.
RACHEL DAVID: The talk about strains of the flu as being something you can own is as? it's like trying to grasp smoke. It's not a useful concept in dealing with this disease.
In terms of whether CSL will make money, we already know what we're likely to make out of this vaccine because we provide it on contract to the Australian Government.
If and only if a pandemic flu was to become a problem, that particular amount of money that we've been paid in that contract is fixed, it's not something that we can profiteer out of and in fact it's not something that we see as being a commercial exercise at all.
TONY EASTLEY: CSL spokeswoman Dr Rachel David ending that report by Geoff Thompson.