Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche said today it would consider granting other firms licences to make the antiviral drug Tamiflu.
The company is coming under pressure to increase output of the drug as avian flu reaches Europe.
Roche said it was willing to discuss all options to increase output of the treatment, including granting sub-licences to produce Tamiflu for emergency pandemic use to governments and other companies.
"We would be prepared to discuss such sub-licences to increase manufacturing of Tamiflu, provided such groups can realistically produce substantial amounts of the medicine for emergency pandemic use," said William Burns, head of the firm's drug division.
One Indian generic drugs maker, Cipla, has said that it wants to start supplying governments who are building stockpiles of the drug, and Thailand said it will bypass Roche's patent to make its own version of Tamiflu by next October.
Tamiflu, known generically as oseltamivir, is the most effective anti-viral drug currently available for avian flu and is one of a class of treatments recommended by the World Health Organization for use in the event of a flu pandemic.