Fighting the Flu - Tamiflu Stockpiling: A Pandemic Preparedness Policy
Luk N. Van Wassenhove and Ramina Samii
INSEAD, France
Volume 3: 2009, pp. 7-34; ABSTRACT
In today’s world of frequent, international travel, a pandemic would spread rapidly. In 2004, the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that the H5N1 virus (avian flu) was close to pandemic status. In the absence of vaccines, antiviral drugs such as Roche’s Tamiflu were the only form of medical intervention to provide both protection and therapeutic benefit. This case narrates the trigger points that encouraged Roche to increase its Tamiflu production capacity 15-fold. It describes how Roche managed the threat to its reputation and business by responding to the specific needs of a wide range of stakeholders. The case helps discuss the importance of embedding the concept of sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in key business and supply chain decisions.
