一組日本研究人員最近開發了一種新技術，用于生產抗流感藥物Tamiflu (ostelamivir)而不再依賴天然成分，從而能夠幫助在疾病大流行的時候確保藥物的穩定供應。

日本Tokyo大學制藥科學研究院的研究人員已經發現了一種制造Tamiflu的方法，而不再使用一種來自八角茴香油中的毒八角酸。這種八角屬樹木的棕色星型果實在中國菜中常常用作調料。這種新技術叫做不對稱催化反應， 使用叫做1,4-環己二烯石化產品的產品來生產Tamiflu，從而避免了天氣成為影響Tamiflu產量的危險因素。Tamiflu是由Roche公司(Basel, Switzerland)生產的，被認為是對抗人類禽流感好的藥物。
 
Technique to Insure Stable Supply of Flu Drug
 
A team of Japanese researchers has developed a new technique for producing the anti-flu drug Tamiflu (ostelamivir) that does not rely on natural ingredients, which may help ensure a more stable supply of the drug in the event of a pandemic.

Researchers at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Japan) have found a way to manufacture Tamiflu without using shikimic acid, produced from a spice called star anise. This brownish star-shaped fruit of the illicium verum tree is often used as a spice in Chinese cuisine. The new technique, called asymmetric catalysis, produces Tamiflu from a petrochemical ingredient called 1,4-cyclohexadiene instead, eliminating weather as a risk factor in Tamiflu production. Tamiflu, produced by Roche (Basel, Switzerland), is considered one of the best defenses against avian flu in humans.