Shares of drug developer BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. jumped Wednesday after the company said it will present positive study data on its influenza treatment at a weekend conference.
The treatment candidate, called peramivir, is in preclinical trials. The company said research at the University of Texas funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases showed the drug's effectiveness on avian flu in mice and ferrets.
The company said this is the first data to describe the activity of peramivir in an established animal model using the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian flu.
More than 200,000 people are hospitalized each year in the United States because of flu complications, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 36,000 people die each year from the flu. According to the World Health Organization, 247 people worldwide have contracted the H5N1 avian flu and 144 have died.
SO what is peramivir? It is a highly selective inhibitor of influenza A and B virus neuraminidases [a surface protein of the virus; they differ from viral strain to strain thus the reason for some flu virions are resistant to treatment] and a potent inhibitor of influenza A and B virus replication in cell culture. It prevents viral replication.
The stock gained 90 cents, or 7.1 percent, to reach $12.16 in morning trading on the Nasdaq. Shares have traded between $8.20 and $23 over the last 52 weeks.
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