Tekmira Up 4% On Positive Ebola-Related Drug Study

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp.

shares gained more than 4 percent after it was widely reported that one of its drugs showed promising results in animal studies directed at treating Ebola virus disease. A peer-reviewed study published Wednesday found that Tekmira's lipid nanoparticle provided "complete protection" in monkeys against Marburg virus infection, the symptoms of which are indistinguishable from Ebola. The drug appeared effective even when administered up to three days following exposure to the virus, which is closely related to Ebola, the company said. Results in the journal Science Translational Medicine, were trumpeted in a company press release at 2 p.m. Wednesday and later widely reported, including in the print edition of Thursday's New York Times. Tekmira's similar development drug, called TKM-Ebola, got a boost Aug. 7 when regulators modified a clinical hold on the drug to a modified hold, potentially clearing the way for human trials. Regulators halted a Phase I study of TKM-Ebola July 3 over safety concerns. Tekmira traded recently at $18.51 a share, up 4.4 percent.