CHINESE DRUG COMPANIES URGED TO SPEED UP H1N1 VACCINE PRODUCTION

By Vincent Low

BEIJING, Nov 5 (Bernama) -- Chinese pharmaceutical companies have been urged to speed up the production of Influenza A(H1N1) vaccine amid an increase in the infection rate since mid-October.

A State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) spokesman told a news conference
Wednesday that it would conduct tests and evaluate the vaccine with drug
companies in the effort to meet the target of producing another 65 million doses
by the year end.

Health authorities have reported 16,000 new H1N1 cases over the last three
weeks, accounting for one-third of the total.

To date, China confirmed more than 48,000 H1N1 cases, of which 118 are
critical cases.

Seven have died from the disease.

Health Minister Chen Zhu said Tuesday that the pandemic had entered "a
period of high incidence earlier than we expected" and said that it could last
until next March.

All local health authorities have been urged to step up vaccination and to
complete the process on targeted groups within two weeks upon the delivery of
the vaccine.

So far, 3.8 million Chinese citizen have been inoculated with the
domestically produced vaccine.

Meanwhile, 100 traditional medicine specialists gathered in Beijing,
Wednesday, to discuss and formulate prescriptions for the H1N1 using Chinese
herbs.

Traditional medicine has been proven to be effective and an affordable means
in the prevention of H1N1.
-- BERNAMA