Asian nations, WHO meet over H5N1 sharing row

Jakarta, Mar 26: Drawing up rules aimed at restricting how virus samples shared amongst countries are used would slow down global efforts to develop vaccines, the World Health Organisation's top bird flu official said today.

Indonesia, which is hosting a WHO meeting with health officials from 18 nations to discuss the issue, has said it will only share samples of the H5N1 avian influenza virus if it has guarantees they will not be used commercially.

Jakarta has also said it wants WHO to help draw up ''material transfer agreements'' to control the use of samples. Indonesia is the nation worst hit by bird flu with 66 human deaths.

''An MTA is not a solution. MTA will slow down the process of doing assessment and also vaccine development,'' David Heymann, the WHO's top bird flu official, told reporters at the meeting.

Some health and aid agencies have criticised Indonesia for refusing to share samples, while others defended the stance because developing countries often struggle to get access to life-saving drugs due to patent laws and high costs.

Sharing virus samples is crucial because it allows experts to study their make-up and map the evolution and geographical spread of any particular strain. Samples are also used to make vaccines.

Heymann said countries that donated virus samples to the WHO should be confident that the viruses would only be used as necessary to carry out risk assessment.

The official had previously said one solution to concerns from poorer nations over access to vaccines was to increase production capacity and help developing countries build their own vaccine plants.

He also floated the idea of a ''virtual stockpile'', whereby industry would put aside a certain amount for a developing country every time a new vaccine was made.

Separately, Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari said that Indonesia would insist on an MTA, unless the country received more vaccine technology.

''If there's no MTA, the viruses cannot be transferred. Without an MTA, maybe a research facility should be established in Indonesia,'' Supari told reporters.

''One solution is perhaps Indonesia could be a collaborating centre. Why not? We have the most patients and viruses in the world.'' Aburizal Bakrie, Indonesia's coordinating minister for welfare, highlighted the neglect poor countries often feel over access to medicines and vaccines.

''High demand in the global market could make prices for AI (avian influenza vaccine) become very expensive for our poor people,'' he said in a speech at the opening of the meeting, attended mainly by Asia-Pacific countries but also others such as Egypt affected by bird flu.

''We understand our limitation and the limitation worries us.'' The H5N1 avian flu virus has swept through poultry across Asia to Africa and Europe. Experts believe it could mutate into a form that would easily pass from one person to another, killing tens of millions in months.

Few companies make vaccines, and total world capacity is only about 300 million to 400 million doses of vaccine a year -- far below what would be needed in a pandemic.

Reuters