WASHINGTON, Oct 8: US President George Bush on Friday met bosses of giant drugs firms summoned to the White House to discuss how to speed up production of a bird flu vaccine, as fears mount of a human pandemic which could kill millions.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that Bush intended to press private sector firms to produce more vaccines in case the disease mutates into a virus that can pass directly between humans.

“One of the primary areas of focus, as we work to address the threat of a potential outbreak, is to make sure that we are expanding capacity to be able to produce enough flu vaccine in the event of an outbreak,” said McClellan.

The meeting came as senior officials of 80 nations and eight international organisations met at the State Department in a conference designed to enhance global cooperation on the bird flu threat, and to improve early warning systems.

Bush met Richard Clark Chief Executive of Merck, Robert Essner CEO of Wyeth, Jean-Pierre Garnier of GlaxoSmithKline, David Mott of MedImmune, Howard Pien of Chiron and Aventis Pasteur’s David Williams. —AFP