The double-blind, randomized, dose-escalating study of peramivir is being conducted in association with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The trial is being conducted at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Part of a new class of antiviral agents, peramivir works by inhibiting viral neuraminidase, an enzyme essential for the influenza virus to spread and infect its hosts.
The drug was designed to treat and prevent various types of flu and in laboratory tests has been shown to be a potent and selective inhibitor of influenza A and B neuraminidases.
Additionally, in preclinical studies, peramivir has shown encouraging activity against H5N1 avian influenza, leading researchers to believe that in the proper formulation, the drug may be effective against that virus, as well as against other life threatening influenza strains that infect humans.
The study is scheduled to enroll approximately 70 volunteers and consists of two parts, a single-dose safety and tolerability study and a multi-dose safety and tolerability study.