Roche and sanofi aventis agree Tamiflu ingredient deal

Sanofi-aventis, the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company, and Roche, the Swiss-based healthcare group, have agreed a deal regarding the production of shikimic acid.

The acid is the key raw material for the Tamiflu vaccine that is produced by Roche. The company will now be exclusively supplied by sanofi-aventis with the ingredient that is produced by fermentation.

Sanofi-aventis has said that the acid will be produced at its Saint-Aubin-les-Elbeuf plant in France, an industrial site that covers 18 hectares and employs more than 250 staff.

The plant has a fermentation capacity of 4,000 cubic metres and sanofi-aventis says that it also produces vitamin B12 and an antibiotic, pristinamycin.

Roche revealed recently the expansion of its Tamiflu vaccine network enabling it to produce some 400 million vaccines annually from the end of 2006.

The network growth means that Tamiflu vaccines are now produced in nine countries worldwide, using more than 15 external contractors.

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