Indonesia seeks Hungarian vaccine

Indonesia seeks Hungarian vaccine

Indonesia is interested in producing a Hungarian prototype human
bird flu vaccine amid fears of outbreaks of the deadly virus in
dozens of countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda said here on
Thursday that Indonesia was exploring the possibility of getting
a license to locally produce the Hungarian prototype human bird
flu vaccine.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono asked him to look into the
possibility of obtaining a license for the local production of
such a vaccine, he added.

Hungary's Minister of Health Jeno Racz said last week
countries, including the United States, Britain and Indonesia,
had expressed an interest in the prototype, set to be approved by
the European Medicines Agency.

He was quoted by AFP as saying Hungary's prototype human
vaccine is effective against the deadly H5N1 strain.

Racz said tests on some 150 volunteers had shown the vaccine
to be effective "beyond doubt", with all volunteers developing
antibodies to the disease.

Hassan also said Indonesia would ask that Avian Flu issues be
discussed at an APEC Summit next month in South Korea.

Separately, Hassan stated that the supply of Tamiflu, an
antiviral drug produced by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and
used to treat those with bird flu, was limited due to high demand
following outbreaks of bird flu in Europe.

"It's not easy to get Tamiflu now. It's fully booked until
2007," he said. --JP