Tekmira's Ebola Treatment Allowed For Emergency Use, Say US And Canada
(Reuters) - Canadian drugmaker Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp said on Monday that U.S. and Canadian regulators have authorized the use of its Ebola treatment in patients who have confirmed or suspected infections from the deadly virus.
The Vancouver-based company said its treatment, TKM-Ebola, has been administered to patients on an emergency basis and the repeat infusions have been well-tolerated.
Expanded access protocols, authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada, allow drug developers to offer experimental therapies to patients with serious diseases who cannot participate in controlled clinical trials.
Tekmira Chief Executive Officer Mark Murray said the company's supplies of the treatment are limited.
The company is developing TKM-Ebola under a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. Tekmira shares rose 6 percent in Toronto and 9 percent on the Nasdaq.
(Reporting By Amrutha Penumudi in Bangalore and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba; Editing by Simon Jennings and Jeffrey Benkoe)