Sales of anti-flu drug Tamiflu soared 203% in the first six months of 2009, according to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche. This contributed to 9% growth in overall sales for the group.
Amid the swine flu pandemic, sales of the drug reached €659m in the first half of the year, with almost two-thirds of this coming from sales to governments and companies which are stockpiling the drug. Roche also said it expected to sell the same amount again in the second half of this year.
'Additional government stockpiling orders and increased demand in the retail pharmacy market contributed to the particularly strong sales recorded in the second quarter,' it added.
Roche said it would be ramping up its production capacity of Tamiflu - one of two drugs recommended by the World Health Organisation to treat the A(H1N1) virus - to 400 million packs a year by 2010.
But Roche said its net profit fell by 29% to 4.1 billion Swiss francs due to charges related to the acquisition of Genentech.
