isirv Antiviral Group
Obtaining Neuraminidase Inhibitors for testing
Pure substances of each of the neuraminidase inhibitors can be obtained for laboratory testing of inhibitor sensitivity by contacting the manufacturers directly:
To obtain oseltamivir phosphate (pro-drug) and/or the active metabolite (oseltamivir carboxylate) from Roche, please complete the attached form here and return it to the email address specified.
To obtain pure zanamivir, please complete the attached form 
and send it to Lorraine.X.Bray@gsk.com
and send it to Lorraine.X.Bray@gsk.comIf the susceptibitlity testing identifies a potentially resistant strain of influenza virus, this information should be reported to Phillip Yates, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2NY, UK (telephone: +44 (0)1438 763887), e-mail: phil.j.yates@gsk.com and a sample sent for confirmatory testing to Dr Jennifer McKimm-Breschkin, Biomolecular Research Institute, 343 Royal Parade, Parkville, Australia 3052. e-mail: Jennifer.McKimm-Breschkin@csiro.au
To obtain pure peramivir, please complete the attached form and return it to the email address specified.
To obtain pure laninamivir, please complete the attached form and return it to Dr Yoshiyuki Kobayashi at: kobayashi.yoshiyuki.bn@daiichisankyo.co.jp
and return it to the email address specified.To obtain pure laninamivir, please complete the attached form
and return it to Dr Yoshiyuki Kobayashi at: kobayashi.yoshiyuki.bn@daiichisankyo.co.jpAlternative Sources of Neuraminidase Inhibitor Drugs
As an alternative to obtaining neuraminidase inhibitor drugs from the pharmaceutical companies that produce the antivirals, many of these compounds can now be purchased from laboratory chemical companies.
Although obtaining the compounds from the pharmaceutical companies is free, it requires the completion of a material transfer agreement (MTA) which can be problematic for some institutions.
An MTA is not necessary when purchasing the compounds from laboratory chemical companies.
The World Health Organization Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System Expert Working Group on Surveillance of Influenza Antiviral Susceptibility tested NAIs obtained from Sequoia Research Products Ltd which performed equally compared to those of the pharmaceutical companies.
Critical factors to consider when using antiviral drugs from pharmaceutical companies as well as laboratory chemical companies are:
i) check whether the chemical structure is correct (e.g. no isomer)
ii) check the possible salt form and hydration as this influences the molecular weight and subsequently the amount of solvent needed to dissolve to a certain molarity.
Links to Neuraminidase Inhibitor Drug Technical Information
Technical information on oseltamivir [Tamiflu®] is available here. The Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) for oseltamivir is available here.
Technical information on zanamivir [Relenza®] is available here
For general information on oseltamivir, click here
For general information on zanamivir, click here
For general information on laninamivir, click here
For general information on peramivir, click here