Global Security Newswire

Oregon biopharmaceutical firm Siga Technologies hopes next year to receive federal approval to distribute a new smallpox antiviral treatment, the Oregonian reported (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2008).

The company began work on the drug prior to 2001 and received an infusion of federal funding in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. It has now received $100 million worth of contracts from Washington.

"It's phenomenal that we're able to develop a drug that potentially could have global impact," said Siga chief scientific officer Dennis Hruby.

Smallpox has been eliminated from nature, but samples are retained for research purposes in Russia and the United States. The disease -- which kills roughly 30 percent of those infected -- is considered a Category A bioterrorism threat, alongside easily transmitted killers such as anthrax and plague.

"A is for the really bad guys," Hruby said.

Should the company's product, ST-246, receive authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, it would primarily be supplied to the military or placed in the Strategic National Stockpile. Hospitals or other sizable private firms might also have access to the drug (Don Colburn, Oregonian, Feb. 11).

Siga indicated this week that it would compete for a U.S. Health and Human Services Department contract to provide between 1.7 million and 12 million doses of smallpox antiviral medication. The agency is expected to issue a request for proposals on Feb. 24 (Siga Technologies release, Feb. 10).

Meanwhile, the Indian government has signed off on marketing and sales plans there of the BioThrax anthrax vaccine produced by Maryland-based Emergent BioSolutions, the company announced today.

“The government of India has been explicit in expressing its commitment to protect its population from the continuing threat of bioterrorism. We are certainly pleased that BioThrax will be a valuable countermeasure available to the government of India to achieve that goal," Emergent chief Fuad El-Hibri said in a release (Emergent BioSolutions release, Feb. 12).