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ITRI announces breakthrough in anti-flu Relenza production
(China Post)The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) yesterday announced it had figured out the way to produce Relenza, an anti-viral pharmaceutical, on its own, marking yet another breakthrough in Taiwan's flu prevention efforts.
The island's premier technology research institute just a few weeks ago announced it was able to make the anti-viral drug Tamiflu on its own.
"The samples that were made in our lab appear to be identical to Relenza," said Lee Lien-tsu, a unit chief under ITRI's biotechnology division. "We now have to test its effectiveness via clinical trials."
Both Relenza, made by U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline, and Tamiflu, made by Switzerland-based Roche, are patented pharmaceuticals and require the approval of the companies before any outside commercial production can take place.
ITRI yesterday said it was able to produce Relenza from its main ingredient -- sialic acid -- in six steps, adding it would take the research institute anywhere from seven to ten days to produce the drug.
Like Tamiflu, Relenza works by way of changing the protein structure of flu viruses to keep them from reproducing. Both are more effective if taken during the early stage of a virus' invasion.
But unlike Tamiflu, Relenza is a powder and needs to be inhaled by the patient, making it less convenient to use.
"We are now trying to change the way Relenza is taken so that it would be easier to use them for the consumer," Lee said.
The drug is not found in the Taiwanese market. Relenza has become more popular in the medical community given the threats of the avian flu in parts of Asia and Europe and the fact some people have developed an antibody to Tamiflu. The World Health Organization has recommended that doctors use Relenza as an alternative to Tamiflu.
ITRI has developed the capability to make sialic acid, the main ingredient of Relenza, in its continued effort to step up its biotechnological research to help manufacturers develop better capabilities and skills.
The Taiwan government has listed biotechnology and digital content as two star industries under the "Two-Trillion, Two-Star" national development project. The two trillion-dollar industries are semiconductor and TFT-LCD.
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