Viragen reports on Multiferon anti-viral studies with U.S. Army researchers

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Feb. 7 - Viragen, Inc. said anti-viral studies have found Multiferon (multi-subtype, natural human alpha interferon) to have significant activity when used in vitro against certain Category A pathogens, a class of highly virulent viral threats which have the potential to be used in biowarfare.

The studies are being conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, according to a company news release. The initial studies have focused on the in vitro activity of Multiferon in cell lines when exposed to a variety of Category A pathogens, including Ebola virus.

Additional studies will evaluate Multiferon as a possible broad-acting anti-viral product, which may be used as a first-line of defense against unknown infectious agents or when no therapeutic or vaccine exists. These studies, expected to be completed by this summer, will help determine the potential role of Multiferon as a bio-defense product, the company said.

"The results obtained thus far have been highly encouraging, showing Multiferon to display broad anti-viral effects, and indeed, we are hopeful that these and future results will indicate that Multiferon can be used as a versatile anti-viral agent, with efficacy against a wide range of pathogens," Viragen vice president and managing director of Viragen (Scotland) Ltd., Dr. Karen Jervis, said in the release.

The Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, located at Fort Detrick, Md., is the lead medical research laboratory for the U.S. Biological Defense Research Program.

Viragen is a biotechnology company engaged in the development of pharmaceutical proteins for the treatment of viral diseases and cancers. The company is based in Plantation, Fla.

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