Roche doing the right thing re: Tamiflu

I'm generally not a big fan of Big Pharma, but Roche is making a very positive move right now, meeting with four outside companies that could participate in manufacturing more Tamiflu, an anti-viral for treating bird flu. (Many thanks to Tom in AZ for correcting me about calling it a vaccine. I've had an awful week, with my little niece of nephew losing their young father so I completely messed up and wasn't thinking when I called Tamiflu a vaccine. As Tom in AZ has kindly pointed out, the US government has been working on a vaccine so let's hope for the best on that treatment.)

It is critical that production gets ramped up quickly so that everyone has access to a drug that could protect them if they become ill. Tamiflu will take months to produce, but it is promising to hear that Roche is actively trying to do something about the massive shortage of supplies. In the long run, it benefits everybody. Now if only we can get the Bush administration to target a more serious goal and not just a few percent of the US population.