Siga gets $28 mln antiviral drug orders as monkeypox spreads (updated)

SIGA Technologies

12/07/2022 21:51

(Adds details on contracts and monkeypox)
    July 12 (Reuters) - Drugmaker SIGA Technologies  SIGA.O 
said on Tuesday it has received new orders worth about $28
million for its oral antiviral drug, as monkeypox cases spread
globally. 
    The latest orders come at a time when more than 7,600
confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported from 50
countries where the disease is not endemic.
    Monkeypox, endemic in parts of Africa, is a viral disease
that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. 
    Siga's drug, Tpoxx, is approved in the European Union and
United Kingdom to treat diseases caused by the family of
orthopoxvirus that includes smallpox, monkeypox and cowpox.
    Tpoxx is only approved to treat smallpox in the United
States and Canada. 
    The new orders include $2 million worth of initial
procurement from two countries in Europe and Asia Pacific as
well as another $26 million from Canada under existing
contracts, Siga said.
    SIGA has received about $56 million of international orders
for oral Tpoxx and the company expects at least $26 million of
international deliveries by Sept. 30, including deliveries made
in the second quarter.
    "The increase over the last two months in international
orders of oral Tpoxx reflects an initial public health reaction
to the evolving monkeypox outbreak," said Chief Executive
Officer Phil Gomez.

 (Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika
Syamnath)
 ((mrinalika.roy@thomsonreuters.com;))