노바티스 “신종플루 백신 기부 안한다”
출처 : 연합뉴스 2009/06/15 15:48
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/international/2009/06/15/0606000000AKR20090615129500009.HTML?template=2088
(서울=연합뉴스) 스위스계 제약회사 노바티스는 가난한 사람들을 위해 인플루엔자 A[H1N1](신종플루) 백신을 기부하지 않기로 했다며 개발도상국들이나 원조공여국들이 그 비용을 부담해야 한다고 밝혔다.
다니엘 바셀라 노바티스 CEO(최고경영자)는 영국일간 파이낸셜타임스(FT) 15일자 인터넷판에서 “저소득 국가에게 가격을 할인해 주는 방안을 고려할 것”이라면서 “하지만 백신 생산이 지속되려면 금전적 보상이 있어야 한다”고 말했다.
바셀라 CEO의 이번 발언은 백신 제조업체들이 일치 단결해 빈곤층에게 백신을 제공해야 한다는 마거릿 찬 세계보건기구 사무총장의 요청을 거절한 것이다.
노바티스와 달리 글락소스미스클라인은 빈민층을 위해 5천만 회분의 백신을 기부하겠다고 약속했으며, 몇몇 소규모 회사들이 생산량의 10%를 무상으로 제공하겠다고 나서는 등 제약업계는 제각각의 행보를 보이고 있다.
바셀라 CEO는 또 미국을 비롯한 각국 정부들이 상당량의 노바티스의 신종플루 백신을 이미 예약한 상태여서 선진국들 사이에서도 백신 부족현상이 일어날 것으로 보인다고 경고하면서 백신 가격은 10-15달러가 될 것이라고 예상했다.
hisunny@yna.co.kr
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Novartis rejects call for vaccine donations
By Andrew Jack in London
출처 : 파이낸셜타임즈 Published: June 14 2009 17:08 | Last updated: June 15 2009 03:41
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/875066ae-5902-11de-80b3-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
Novartis, the Swiss pharmaceuticals group, defied the World Health Organisation and some of its corporate peers by ruling out a donation to the poor of vaccines to counter the latest flu pandemic, and saying developing nations or donor nations should cover the costs.
Daniel Vasella, Novartis chief executive, told the Financial Times that he would consider offering discounted pricing to low-income nations, but unlike other drug companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, would not offer vaccines for free. He said: “If you want to make production sustainable, you have to create financial incentives.”
His comments were a rebuff to Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, who last week said the H1N1 swine flu outbreak had become a pandemic. She has called on vaccine makers to show “solidarity” in offering vaccines to the poor.
The remarks highlight divisions in the industry. GSK has pledged 50m doses of its flu vaccine to the poor, and some smaller producers in developing countries say they will earmark 10 per cent of their production for free distribution.
Mr Vasella said a “significant” proportion of Novartis’s H1N1 stock had been reserved by governments, raising the prospect of shortages even among richer nations that can afford to purchase vaccines he estimated would cost $10-$15 (£6-£9) a dose, and more for smaller orders and those placed later.
Meanwhile, the US government has already purchased $289m of H1N1 vaccines from Novartis, although it has yet formally to approve the product.
Novartis owns Chiron, the US vaccine company that on Friday claimed it was the first producer to complete trial H1N1 vaccine batches using an accelerated cell-based technique rather than conventional production in eggs.
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