Well, since Wimpus Americanus cannot ride out the flu, the FDA, in an emergency ruling, approved an unapproved drug (antiviral drug peramivir) for use in “some cases.”
Hospitals in the U.S., where hundreds of swine flu patients are being admitted daily, may use BioCryst Pharmaceutical Inc.’s antiviral drug peramivir in some cases under a Food and Drug Administration emergency ruling.
The FDA authorized on Oct. 23 the use of an intravenous version of the medicine, which is in final-stage testing in the U.S., to treat confirmed or suspected swine flu in children and adults who may not benefit from conventional treatments or where an infusion is likely to be more beneficial.
The decision will spur wider use of BioCryst’s unapproved drug and give physicians an alternative to Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu tablet and GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s inhaled medicine Relenza.
…BioCryst shares have surged more than fivefold to $9.66 since the new H1N1 influenza strain was reported in Mexico and the U.S. in late April and reached a three-year high of $12.80 on Aug. 26.
It turns out that the Department of Health and Human Services has nicely funded the testing of peramivir (shocking!) so it could roll the drug out in time for its pandemic/national emergency. Surely there’s no hanky-panky going on here. I love how the article says, “Investors love federal support, and they quickly boosted BioCryst’s shares by 7 percent in premarket trading.” Like I always say, the Medical-Congressional-Pharmaceutical complex never hides its dirty deeds. The money changes hands very openly, but still I’ll get occasional snide comments from the true believers who like to go along to get along so their security and well-being isn’t interrupted by silly stuff like thinking…
