Friday, March 17 2006 14:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A senior CPI (M) member today(Mar 17,2006) demanded a thorough probe into the large scale purchase of costly tamiflu medicine from a multinational company ahead of the actual outbreak of the birdflu in the country.

Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha during zero hour, the CPI (M) member Nilotpal Basu said there was a 'mistmatch' between the actual extent of the disease and the media reports in the country.

He wondered when Cipla, an Indian pharmaceutical company, could manufacture the drug at a much lower cost, why Government procured one millon doses of tamiflu medicine from a German pharma company at an exorbitant price of 12 dollar a dose.

Suspecting a nexus between the procurement of tamiflu medicine and the hype about the outbreak of the disease, Basu wondered why the Government was glossing over the aggressive marketing campaign of the MNC for the medicine.

In the last one month, the country has been witnessing major noises about birdflu, whose actual impact was in reality much less in the country, he said.