GENEVA — The World Health Organization urged drugmakers to reserve some of their pandemic swine flu vaccine for poor countries, but received few concrete offers Tuesday as experts disclosed that an effective flu shot is still months away.
The global body wants companies to donate at least 10 percent of their production or offer reduced prices for poor countries that could otherwise be left without vaccines if there is a sudden surge in demand. But some are skeptical about what such a commitment could mean for their business.
"I don’t think that all of the answers are there yet,” said Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG spokesman Eric Althoff.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, called for global solidarity in confronting the disease. Solidarity "must mean that all have access to drugs and vaccines,” he added.
The only major drugmaker that publicly agreed to the WHO request Tuesday was Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline PLC.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday the U.S. felt it had a responsibility to ensure that both antiviral drugs and any new vaccine also are available to poor countries.
The U.S. has so far refrained from reserving any new vaccine.
Sebelius said the U.S. is working to boost its production capacity for seasonal flu vaccines so the factories can switch to the swine flu strain if needed.
by the associated press
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