PharmAthene, Inc. (NYSE Amex: PIP), a biodefense company developing medical countermeasures against biological and chemical threats, announced today that the Company is presenting results of a study demonstrating the effectiveness of Valortim® in an inhalation anthrax model in the New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit. The data are being presented during an oral session at the HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) Stakeholders Workshop 2009 / BARDA Industry Day being held in Washington, D.C., December 2-4, 2009.
"PharmAthene continues to advance its anthrax pipeline and work collaboratively with the U.S. Government to develop novel vaccines and therapies to address this potentially serious terrorist threat, which has a lethality rate approaching 100% in untreated individuals," commented David P. Wright, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Accumulating evidence suggests that our product, Valortim®, possesses important characteristics that may make it a strong choice for procurement in the Strategic National Stockpile for civilian biodefense, including: demonstrated efficacy in animal models as both a prophylactic and therapeutic for inhalational anthrax; the potential for direct and indirect killing of Bacillus anthracis, a mechanism of action not previously described for other monoclonal antibodies; and, efficacy at low doses."