Siga Tech receives $10.7-mln order for antiviral Tpoxx amid monkeypox outbreak

SIGA Technologies

29/09/2022 13:32

Sept 29 (Reuters) - Siga Technologies  SIGA.O  said on
Thursday it has won a new contract for its oral antiviral drug,
Tpoxx, worth up to $10.7 million from the U.S. Department of
Defense as the country stocks up on the treatment amid a
monkeypox outbreak.
  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
earlier this month issued a guidance for the expanded use of the
drug, which is approved only for smallpox by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), to help tackle the monkeypox spread.
    Siga said it aims to deliver $5.1 million worth of oral
Tpoxx drugs this year, with the remaining subject to the
discretion of the department. 
    The new contract follows another one from the DoD earlier
this year for the procurement of $7.4 million worth of oral
Tpoxx, with all drugs expected to be delivered this year, the
company said.
    The company also said in August the U.S. government would
buy $26-million worth of intravenous formulation of Tpoxx for
patients unable to swallow the oral pill as monkeypox symptoms
include rashes and blisters in the mouth.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2ZL2FW
    More than 65,000 cases of monkeypox disease have been
confirmed in over 90 countries where the disease is not endemic,
with the World Health Organization declaring it a global health
emergency in July.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2Z408L
    This has led to a flurry of orders for Siga, with the
company earlier this week disclosing about $16 million in
international procurement orders received in August and early
September.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nGNX7jzVn
 (Reporting by Leroy Leo in Bengaluru;
Editing by Vinay Dwivedi)
 ((Leroy.Dsouza@thomsonreuters.com ; Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeroyLeo7;))