Why was Peramivir developed? Peramivir seems to be effective on influenza viruses that have become resistant to Tamiflu. Studies have been done on mice and ferrets so far. Preclinical studies show effectiveness of peramivir in a broad range of influenza viruses including the H5N1 avian influenza virus.
How has Peramivir been tested and what are the results? Results on 41 mice and 20 ferrets presented at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in San Francisco in September 2006 showed that 80 per cent of the mice survived a flu virus when treated with Peramivir intramuscularly for five days while only 36 per cent of the untreated mice survived. As for the ferrets, 86 per cent survived the flu with treatment with Peramivir while only 36 per cent survived without treatment. The mice and ferrets were infected with a strain of the H5N1 virus, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A/Vietnam/1203/04. See Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) vs. Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI)
How many people survive H5N1 bird flu? Currently around 41 per cent of the more than 240 people infected with H5N1 have survived. Some patients received treatment with Tamiflu, some received no treatment. It is still not clear how effective Tamiflu has been in treating H5N1 bird flu. Studies are still underway as the H5N1 outbreak continues. See the Updated Human Cases of H5N1 Bird Flu Since 2003.
Who makes Peramivir? Peramivir is made by BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) an Alabama based pharmaceuticals company that is working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop anti-viral drugs. Previously Peramivir showed disappointing results given in an oral form. The recent encouraging studies were undertaken administering Peramivir intramuscularly.
The role of the FDA and Peramivir. The Food and Drug Administration gave BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Fast Track permission to develop Peramivir in light of a possible pandemic flu arising from the H5N1 avian influenza epidemics in southeast Asia.
Clinical studies of Peramivir. BioCryst plans to start phase II and III studies in southeast Asia under a partnership with the South Korean pharmaceutical company, Green Cross Corporation. The Green Cross Corporation has also developed seasonal flu vaccines and is working on an avian influenza vaccines for humans.
Sources:
- Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc., BioCryst Research Pipeline, BCX-4208 (PNP Inhibitor) Peramivir.
- Reuters for Yahoo! News. New drug boosts bird flu survival in animals. September 30, 2006.
- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. Peramivir Fact Sheet, pdf.
- Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Late breaking abstracts. 2006.
- Wikipedia.. Peramivir. Last modified June 22, 2006.