1 September 2014 - Drug company BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NasdaqGS:BCRX) disclosed on Friday the receipt of a contract modification for an additional USD2.4m to conduct a dose ranging efficacy study of an intramuscular formulation of BCX4430 in non-human primates as a treatment for Ebola virus disease.

The company added that the fund was awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the study is expected to be initiated within weeks.

Following this additional award, NIAID's BCX4430 development contract has been increased in value to USD24.4m, if all options are exercised.

This project will be funded in whole or in part with Federal funds from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, under Contract No. HHSN272201300017C.