sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
By Laura MacInnis
GENEVA, May 21 (Reuters) - Countries facing an imminent flu pandemic are making progress on an agreement on how to share drugs, vaccines and the viruses needed to make them, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.
snip
The biggest sticking point in those talks has been how and when biological samples of viruses would be shared with the world's pharmaceutical companies who need them to make vaccines, an issue known as "material transfer."
snip
She won broad support on Thursday for a proposal for her to "facilitate a process to finalise the remaining elements including the standard material transfer agreement" and then present a deal to the WHO's executive board in January 2010.
snip
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLL42833320090521
GENEVA, May 21 (Reuters) - Countries facing an imminent flu pandemic are making progress on an agreement on how to share drugs, vaccines and the viruses needed to make them, the head of the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.
snip
The biggest sticking point in those talks has been how and when biological samples of viruses would be shared with the world's pharmaceutical companies who need them to make vaccines, an issue known as "material transfer."
snip
She won broad support on Thursday for a proposal for her to "facilitate a process to finalise the remaining elements including the standard material transfer agreement" and then present a deal to the WHO's executive board in January 2010.
snip
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSLL42833320090521
