Peregrine Awarded DTRA Contract to Develop Bavituximab for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers

Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Tustin, CA), has entered into a five-year contract worth up to $44.4 million to test and develop bavituximab and an equivalent fully human antibody as potential broad-spectrum treatments for viral hemorrhagic fever infections. The initial contract was awarded through the Transformational Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI) of the US Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA).

Bavituximab is Peregrine’s lead anti-phosphatidylserine (anti-PS) monoclonal antibody and is currently in clinical trials for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections and cancer. In preclinical animal models, bavituximab has demonstrated encouraging anti-viral activity as a potential treatment for viral hemorrhagic fevers. Peregrine's fully human anti-PS antibody, which will also be assessed under this contract, is currently in preclinical development.