The preclinical data based on animal models of two different viruses showed that Tarvacin binds to enveloped virus particles representing six different virus families including HIV 1 and 2, influenza A and B, measles, respiratory syncitial virus (RSV), bovine viral diarrhea and pichinde virus.
The drugs anti-phosphatidylserine antibodies provided significant protection in animals infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) with 100% of the anti-phosphatidylserine antibodies treated animals surviving and only 20% of animals receiving control treatment surviving.
Tarvacin also proved effective in animals administered with lethal viral loads of pichinde virus (a model of lassa fever) with 50% of the Tarvacin treated animals surviving and none of the animal receiving control treatment surviving. Those animals which did survive due to the treatment received long term immunity to re-infection.
“These data further illustrate why we are excited about the Tarvacin anti-viral program,” stated Steven King, president and CEO of Peregrine. “We are looking forward to initiating the Tarvacin hepatitis C clinical trial, continuing our collaboration with National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and expanding into other collaborations to further explore the potential of the program for the treatment of viral infections.”
Peregrine received FDA approval to begin a Tarvacin phase I clinical trial in hepatitis C infected patients in late May 2005. 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 both in vitro and in vivo against a wide variety of enveloped viruses of health and bioterrorism concern including hepatitis C, influenza and SARS.