NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIGA Technologies (Nasdaq:SIGA), a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight bio-warfare pathogens, today announced that Dr. Dennis E. Hruby, Chief Scientific Officer, will be participating as an outside expert in the committee evaluating the research and development work recommended in the Institute of Medicine's 1999 report, Assessment of Future Scientific Needs for Live Variola Virus.
The committee, which will meet on October 2-3, 2008 in Washington D.C., is sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The conclusions and recommendations of the committee will inform policy discussions in the United States and the worldwide community regarding the continued need to retain the official stocks of live variola virus (smallpox) for research purposes.
Commenting on the committee, Dr. Hruby stated, "This upcoming committee meeting is very significant, as it is evidence of the concern that the CDC and governments worldwide place on the smallpox virus and the research and development that is being done for preventing and treating a possible outbreak. The committee's findings should provide substantive information from which policy concerning the use of the live variola virus can be examined."
About SIGA Technologies, Inc.
SIGA Technologies is applying viral and bacterial genomics and sophisticated computational modeling in the design and development of novel products for the prevention and treatment of serious infectious diseases, with an emphasis on products for biological warfare defense. SIGA believes that it is a leader in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight potential bio-warfare pathogens. SIGA has antiviral programs targeting smallpox and other Category A pathogens, including arenaviruses (Lassa fever, Junin, Machupo, Guanarito, Sabia, and lymphocytic choriomeningitis), dengue virus, and the filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg). For more information about SIGA, please visit SIGA's Web site at http://www.siga.com/.
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