A study at the University of Bangkok, Thailand, confirmed efficacy of the therapy against an H5N1 viral isolate. Meanwhile, researchers at the Public Health Agency of Canada demonstrated that the drug was effective against the H1N1 and H3N2 strains, and researchers at Oregon State University confirmed efficacy against the H7N7 and H3N8 strains.
These data confirm efficacy observed with the H1N1 strain previously reported by Drs Jianzhu and Chen Qin Ge at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston and now represent positive reports from four laboratories using different endpoints and methodologies.
“By targeting regions of the viral genetic code that are common to all influenza A subtypes, we expect that our Neugene drugs will be effective against avian flu and the far more common influenza A viruses, which kill an average of 35,000 Americans every year,” said Dr Patrick Iversen, senior vice president of R&D at AVI.