Spokane firm to help fight avian flu

A Philadelphia pharmaceutical company has signed an agreement with Spokane-based HollisterStier Laboratories to help produce an experimental drug that is considered a key weapon against avian flu.

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. has signed a letter of intent with HollisterStier to fill the active ingredients of Ampligen, an experimental drug that has shown successful results in protecting people from avian flu, according to a press release.

Health experts worldwide are warning that the latest version of avian flu, a mutated form of influenza called H5N1, has already killed millions of birds and 65 people in Asia since 2003. Officials fear that the disease could produce a widespread epidemic because it can spread quickly.

In a recently filed financial statement, publicly traded Hemispherx announced it was expanding production of key components of Ampligen at its New Jersey manufacturing site, and would then transfer those components to a contract manufacturer to “fill” the drug.

Filling, in this instance, means taking the key chemical components of Ampligen, formulating them and loading the product into vials.

Hemispherx will ship the active ingredients for the product to Spokane and has said HollisterStier will fill approximately 10,000 doses of Ampligen per week. Production for significantly larger quantities of product are planned thereafter, the press release from Hemispherx said.

Hemispherx has already begun transferring manufacturing technology for Ampligen to HollisterStier, the release said.

HollisterStier officials weren’t available for comment Monday. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Federal Drug Administration has not yet approved the use of Ampligen. Hemispherx recently reported that preclinical studies have shown Ampligen, when used in combination with another drug, TamiFlu, stops cell destruction caused by avian flu. More tests are planned.

Several other pharmaceutical companies are also developing drugs designed to fight avian flu.

Doug Hulse, chief operating officer and president of Hemispherx, said in the press release, “We are pleased to be working with HollisterStier, a highly professional group who can support the full commercialization of Ampligen upon FDA approval. We selected this group from a qualified pool of manufacturers and look forward to executing our manufacturing strategy with them.”

Among its other contracts, HollisterStier is also handling the filling for an anthrax vaccine developed by a Michigan company for the U.S. government.