Tekmira Pharmaceuticals (TKMR) Stock Quietly Gains Steam on Ebola Outbreak

While the Ebola outbreak in Africa has grabbed the mainstream headlines, traders in the stock market have been more subdued in their response - unlike bird-flu, swine-flu and SARS stock market hype of the past. However, one stock appears to be quietly gaining momentum on the headlines - Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation (NASDAQ: TKMR).

While a recent clinical study for Tekmira's Ebola virus RNAi therapeutic, TKM-Ebola, was placed on clinical hold by the FDA, some still see the stock as a great way to gain exposure to the Ebola outbreak.

Despite the clinical hold, the treatment still appears to be a viable option to treat Ebola. TKM-Ebola is being developed under a $140 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense's Medical Countermeasure Systems BioDefense Therapeutics (MCS-BDTX) Joint Product Management Office. In addition, preclinical studies were published in the medical journal The Lancet and demonstrated that when siRNA targeting the Ebola virus and delivered by Tekmira's LNP technology were used to treat previously infected non-human primates, the result was 100 percent protection from an otherwise lethal dose of Zaire Ebola virus (Geisbert et al., The Lancet, Vol 375, May 29, 2010). The therapeutic agent was granted a Fast Track designation from the FDA in March 2014.

Here's what the CEO said in response to the FDA news. "We have completed the single ascending dose portion of this study in healthy volunteers without the use of steroid pre-medication. The FDA has requested additional data related to the mechanism of cytokine release, observed at higher doses, which we believe is well understood, and a protocol modification designed to ensure the safety of healthy volunteer subjects, before we proceed with the multiple ascending dose portion of our TKM-Ebola Phase I trial," said Dr. Mark Murray, President and CEO of Tekmira Pharmaceuticals. "We will continue our dialogue with the FDA, provided for under our Fast Track status, in order to advance the development of this important therapeutic agent."

Given the recent outbreak, a petition has been launched at Change.org urging the FDA to approve the drug. It can be found here.

Shares are up 29% over the last few days, including today's 2.5% move higher.

In addition to Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX) is another company that has an Ebola treatment in the works. The company's BCX4430 showed protection against Marburg virus and Ebola virus in animal models, according to a Nature study.

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