U.S. Government Exercises Option To Purchase Additional RAPIVAB from BioCryst for Delivery to Strategic National Stockpile

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:BCRX) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has exercised its option to purchase an additional 10,000 doses of BioCryst’s approved antiviral influenza therapy, RAPIVAB (peramivir injection), for approximately $7 million.  

The RAPIVAB purchase by the HHS Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response will supply the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS), the nation’s largest supply of life-saving pharmaceuticals and medical supplies for use in a public health emergency.

“There is great concern for the potential impact on the healthcare system in general, and hospitals in particular, of the upcoming influenza season in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. RAPIVAB is an important antiviral with proven benefits for influenza patients, and we appreciate the opportunity to deliver more RAPIVAB to the SNS to hold as a supplement for public health authorities and healthcare facilitites that might need it at this critical time,” said Jon Stonehouse, chief executive officer of BioCryst.

The order is part of a $34.7 million contract (Contract No. 75D301-18-C-02984) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded in 2018 for the procurement of up to 50,000 doses of RAPIVAB (peramivir injection) over a five-year period for the SNS.

About RAPIVAB (peramivir injection)
RAPIVAB (peramivir injection) is approved in the United States for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients 2 years and older who have been symptomatic for no more than two days. It is administered via an intravenous infusion for a minimum of 15 minutes at recommended doses of 600 mg/kg for adults and adolescents and 12 mg/kg for pediatric patients ages 2 to 12 years. Efficacy of RAPIVAB is based on clinical trials of naturally occurring influenza in which the predominant influenza infections were influenza A virus and a limited number of patients infected with influenza B virus. Visit http://www.rapivab.com to learn more.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals discovers novel, oral, small-molecule medicines that treat rare diseases in which significant unmet medical needs exist and an enzyme plays a key role in the biological pathway of the disease. BioCryst has several ongoing development programs including ORLADEYO (berotralstat), an oral treatment for hereditary angioedema, BCX9930, an oral Factor D inhibitor for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases, galidesivir, a potential treatment for COVID-19, Marburg virus disease and Yellow Fever, and BCX9250, an ALK-2 inhibitor for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. RAPIVAB (peramivir injection), a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, is BioCryst's first approved product and has received regulatory approval in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the European Union. Post-marketing commitments for RAPIVAB are ongoing. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.BioCryst.com.