Peregrine anti-viral drug to be tested by US army

Under the agreement, Peregrine will supply Tarvacin, its lead anti-phospholipid therapy agent, for in vitro and in vivo animal studies developed by the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID).

“This agreement will allow us to expand on the promising results previously generated using Tarvacin to treat a model of another hemorrhagic fever known as Lasssa fever,” said Dr David Sherris, Peregrine’s head of business development.

Separately, in April of 2005, Peregrine and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) entered into a collaborative effort to screen Tarvacin for activity against a variety of viruses of health and bioterrorism concern including Hepatitis B and C, HIV, influenza and SARS.

Peregrine has also received FDA approval to begin a Tarvacin phase I clinical trial in Hepatitis C infected patients in late May 2005. Peregrine is continuing to evaluate Tarvacin for the treatment of a variety of viral infections that could lead to additional therapeutic indications in this area. In addition, Peregrine is currently recruiting cancer patients in a Tarvacin phase I clinical trial at multiple clinical sites in the US.