Indonesia says no to bird flu virus sharing

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia will not share bird flu virus samples unless there is a guarantee developing nations will have control over their use and have access to cheap vaccines, a health ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.

Indonesia, the nation worst hit by bird flu with 91 human deaths, has held back its virus samples since August and wants guarantees from richer nations and drugmakers that poor countries get access to affordable vaccines derived from their samples.

Health officials from around the world failed to reach an agreement on a new virus sharing system at talks hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva last week.

Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari insisted on "equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of viruses" at the meeting.

Sharing samples is deemed vital to see if viruses have mutated, become drug resistant or grown more transmissible.

"Talks hit a deadlock because the health minister was relentless in pushing for a material transfer agreement for each virus sample, but not everyone agreed to that," ministry spokeswoman Lily Sulistiowati told Reuters.

"We hope that negotiations will continue," she said. "But for her (the Indonesian health minister) one thing remains unnegotiable. We will not send samples overseas without an

MTA."

Indonesia wants a "material transfer agreement" for each virus sample sent to foreign labs, that specifies the sample is used only for diagnostic purposes and not for commercial gain.