DUBAI - A local pharmaceutical firm has been given the go-ahead to produce a generic version of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu effective in treating A (H1N1).

The drug will be manufactured and marketed by the Abu Dhabi based pharmaceutical firm Neopharma under the brand name BR Flu (Oseltamivir).

The head of the company said on Saturday that the firm had the capacity to produce 20 million capsules per month.

He also said that the medicine would be made available immediately since it had earlier been marketed during the global avian flu outbreak in 2007.

"We already have enough stocks to make it available in the market immediately. We were just waiting for the ministry's approval," said Dr BR Shetty, managing director and CEO of Neopharma said while speaking to Khaleej Times.

This makes the UAE the first country in the Middle East region to produce a generic version of Tamiflu produced by Swiss pharma giant Roche.

The only other drug effective in treating the viral infection that has claimed hundreds of lives worldwide is marketed under the brand name Relenza.

A vaccine giving immunity against the deadly virus is expected to be available next month while another UAE firm is also expected to start mass production in early 2010.

Dr Shetty said that though the drug had been marketed earlier, the demand was much higher at present due to the global outbreak of H1N1.

"We have already received orders from Oman and Yemen while Kuwait has enquired," said Dr Shetty.

"Demand for the drug is also very high since the Haj and the winter season is setting in," he added.

The company has also been given the go-ahead to produce syrup for children at a concentration of 15mg while the capsules will be produced at a concentration of 75mg.

"We are confident the approval for Oseltamivir will significantly facilitate medical professionals and the wider community to effectively tackle the lethal H1N1 virus in the region," he added.

Dr Amin Hussein Al Amiri, director of Medical Practice and Licensing said the health ministry and the Higher Committee for Registration and Pricing of Drugs last week allowed Neopharma to produce the drug locally after studying the company’s proposal and finding that it meets international standards.

He, however, assured that current stockpiles of Tamiflu were enough to last until the new drug or vaccine was available in the UAE. "All health bodies in the country have enough stockpiles of Tamiflu," he assured.

Dr Al Amiri also advised the general public not to panic and to use Tamiflu only on a doctor’s prescription.