Geneva  - Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche said Wednesday it will produce stockpiles of antivirals for developing countries at a reduced price in the event of a flu pandemic or similar public health emergency.

The company would store the stockpiles until one or more of the 70 countries asked for a shipment. The final cost to the governments, or the donors who would purchase the medicine, would depend on how long the product was kept in storage.

Oseltamivir, the anti-viral also know by its brand-name Tamiflu, has shown itself to be generally affective against seasonal flu and the new outbreak of swine flu.

The World Health Organization has declared swine flu - technically called A(H1N1) influenza - to be a pandemic, meaning its spread is global, though it remains moderate in severity.(dpa)