Ebola sends a B.C. biotech’s stock soaring

Ebola | BCBusiness

West Africa’s deadly Ebola outbreak puts the spotlight on a Vancouver company’s experimental treatment

The prospect of U.S. regulator approval of its experimental treatment for ebola has sent Tekmira Pharmaceutical Corp.’s stock on a roller coaster ride over the last week, with shares hovering around $25 Monday, a 65 per cent increase over their $15.50 Thursday close.
 
Tekmira’s treatment, reported to be one of three worldwide to show promising results (in animals), received confirmation Friday from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) that the status of their application for clinical trials had changed, from a full to a partial hold. That change allows the use of the company’s drug in individuals infected with Ebola.
 
The company has developed its anti-ebola therapeutic under a $140-million contract with an office under the U.S. Department of Defence, and has tested its drug on previously infected primates in clinical trials. The result: 100 per cent protection from an otherwise lethal does of Ebola. That development led the FDA to fast track Tekmira’s treatment in March.