Hemispherx Biopharma Reports Evidence Based Clinical Potential of Natural Interferon (IFN) -- Alpha for Infection Control and Treatment of Drug Resistant H7N9 Influenza Virus

Hemispherx Biopharma (NYSE MKT:

) today announced publication of an article entitled "Emergence of a novel drug resistant H7N9 influenza virus: Evidence based clinical potential of a natural IFN-alpha for infection control and treatment" in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy early online edition pages 1-5, 2014. H7N9 is a recently identified virus associated with high mortality in humans with the potential to emerge as an agent for a global pandemic. New cases of H7N9 have been very recently reported in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In vitro tests reported in the new article demonstrated that both oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and Alferon N have significant inhibitory effect on a neuraminidase inhibitor sensitive H7N9 influenza virus. In contrast, Alferon N, but not Tamiflu®, had an inhibitory effect on the neuraminidase resistant Shanghai/1/H7N9 virus. The research was conducted under the supervision of Juergen Richt, DVM, PhD, Director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases (CEEZAD), The Regents Distinguished Professor at Kansas State University, and an Eminent Scholar of Kansas Bioscience Association (KBA). Professor Richt is recognized as an expert on zoonotic agents and has