BioCryst clarifies government declaration (NASDAQ:BCRX)

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals have clarified today that the Government Declaration about their antiviral Peramivir requires a step before they can issue an Emergency Use Authorization or EUA.  The company announced that the Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued “HHS Secretary’s Declaration for the Use of the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act for the Influenza Antiviral Peramivir”. The Notice of this Declaration was posted in the Federal Register and is also available on the web site of the Federal Register. U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has provided more information about the new EUA policies in their review which one can also look up on their web site.

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals normally designs, optimizes and develops small-molecule pharmaceuticals that block key enzymes involved in infectious diseases and cancer. Peramivir is an anti-viral agent that was discovered by BioCryst which inhibits the interactions of influenza neuraminidase, an enzyme which is critical for the spread of influenza within the host. In lab test, peramivir has also shown activity against the H1N1 swine flu origin viral strains. Shionogi & Co., partner with BioCryst is currently looking to file a regulatory approval in Japan by the end of this year.