NEW YORK, Sept. 18, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIGA Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq:SIGA), a company specializing in the development of pharmaceutical agents to fight biowarfare pathogens and emerging human health threats, today announced that Dr. Dennis Hruby, SIGA's Chief Scientific Officer, will be attending The HHS Public Health Emergency Medical Countermeasures Enterprise (PHEMCE) Stakeholders Workshop 2008 and BARDA Industry Day on September 24th - 26th at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, VA.
Dr. Hruby will give a presentation discussing SIGA's Discovery and Development of Antiviral Drugs for Biodefense. Included will be a discussion on how SIGA has developed a novel approach to establish the infrastructure necessary to successfully advance new antiviral drugs from the discovery stage on through to licensure.
Commenting on the presentation, Dr. Hruby said, "The approach that SIGA has taken to develop its antivirals for biodefense is one of collaboration with input and support from many sources including academic, federal, and private sector partners. The success of this model is evident and can best be demonstrated by the rapid progress of our lead antiviral against smallpox, ST-246."
BARDA Industry day and PHEMCE Workshop provides a forum for a dynamic dialogue on the current state of medical countermeasure preparedness, PHEMCE initiatives in the past year, and plans for moving forward to enhance national capabilities to respond to a public health emergency. The event also provides unique opportunities for biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry representatives to showcase their latest breakthroughs targeting emerging bio-threats. More information on the event can be found at http://www.blsmeetings.net/phemc/workshopoverview.cfm.
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/.
The SIGA Technologies, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=4504