NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — Tekmira Pharmaceuticals this week announced that it has started limited manufacturing of a new version of its siRNA Ebola treatment TKM-Ebola to specifically target the Guinea variant of the disease that is responsible for the current outbreak in Africa.
Supply of this agent, dubbed Ebola-Guinea, will be available in early December to potential use by collaborators.
Tekmira reported last month that it has received special clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration to provide TKM-Ebola to individuals with confirmed or suspected Ebola infections. A clinical hold on the multi-dose arm of a Phase I trial of the drug remains in place as the company prepares to submit to the agency additional information about cytokine induction observed in those who had received the highest dose of the drug in the study's single-dose arm.