HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced that the Department has awarded a $102.6 million, four-year contract to BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for advanced development of their influenza antiviral drug, peramivir.
In laboratory studies to date, peramivir has shown effectiveness against a number of influenza strains. Funding provided under the new contract will support further studies to determine if peramivir can be an effective treatment for seasonal and life-threatening influenza, including highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza. Additional research may also examine the drug's potential use for prophylaxis to protect against influenza infection.
"Antivirals are an important element of our pandemic influenza preparedness efforts," Secretary Leavitt said. "Our antiviral strategy includes not only stockpiling existing antiviral drugs but also seeking out new antiviral medications to further broaden our capabilities to treat and prevent all forms of influenza."
Peramivir is a member of the neuraminidase inhibitor class of influenza antiviral drugs. While the other antiviral drugs in this class are either taken orally (oseltamivir/Tamiflu) or by an inhaler (zanamivir/Relenza), peramivir is being studied as a drug that can be administered parenterally, that is through intravenous or intramuscular injection. The ability to administer the drug through parenteral injection may be especially useful in hospital settings where it can be given to persons with life-threatening influenza upon admission to emergency rooms. Additional advantages to parenteral injection of peramivir include the potential for high levels of the drug to be achieved rapidly throughout the body and its ability to be administered to people too ill to take medications by mouth.