BEIJING, Tues. --- Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG has made a second donation of the anti-viral drug  Tamiflu, seen as the first line of defense against human cases of bird flu, the World Health Organization said today.

The donation of two million courses is meant for poor countries grappling with human outbreaks of H5N1. the bird flu strain that affects mostly animals but which scientists fear could mutate into a form that can pass between people, sparking a pandemic.

“They have agreed to donate another two million courses, that is 20 million doses, for use by affected countries who reported human cases to reduce morbidity and mortality and to delay the spread of the infection”, Margaret

Chan, the WHO’s senior influenza co-ordinator, said.

The drugs would likely be stored in the WHO’s regional offices, Chan said, speaking on the sidelines of a bird flu donor conference in Beijing.

An agreement on the latest donation was made in recent days, she said.

Roche made a donation last year of three million courses, or 30 million capsules, and this is being held as a rapid-response stockpile for use if a pandemic begins to emerge.

“It is meant as a fire blanket to contain damage if we receive signals and evidence from the ground that we are moving into the beginning of a pandemic”, said Chan.