SIGA Technologies and Four Star Group Team Up to Secure Additional Bio-defense Research Contracts
New York, NY - February 19, 2003 - SIGA Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGA and FRANKFURT: SGW 919 473), a biopharmaceuticals company focusing on antibiotics and vaccines for use in defense against agents of biological terrorism, is teaming with Four Star Group to target and secure government contracts to continue its development of products to prevent and control Smallpox infections and other agents of biological terror, such as plague or anthrax. SIGA research has discovered novel technologies that deliver effective immunity to infections in test animals without exposing them to the dangers of live, infectious agents. In an effort to accelerate bringing SIGA's lifesaving technologies to market, Four Star Group will market SIGA's pioneering research to the attention of the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and other critical federal agencies leading America's war on terrorism.
"Our team has been developing these innovations since 1998. The technology is real, it's practical and there's no question there's a market for it," said Thomas N. Konatich, SIGA's CFO and acting CEO. "By working with Four Star Group, we now have an even greater ability to market our unique bio-defense solutions to address the nation's most critical security threats."
Smallpox, the most destructive disease in recorded history, virtually disappeared 40 years ago as a result of mass vaccination with a modified live Smallpox vaccine. However, that live virus vaccine is associated with a small but very significant risk of serious complications, including encephalitis and occasionally death. The specter of bioterrorism has highlighted an urgent need for protection against the ravages of Smallpox and vaccination of our military and healthcare first-responders has already begun. Unlike the traditional Smallpox vaccine, which relies on an attenuated live virus to develop immunity, SIGA's breakthrough methodologies may allow a person to develop immunity without having to risk exposure to dangerous infection.
SIGA is also developing an antiviral drug to interrupt the course of viral infection in laboratory animals. This novel approach aims to stop infection by viruses closely related to Smallpox and may be the basis of therapeutic intervention in humans exposed to Smallpox.
"SIGA's scientific research team has a deep understanding of the molecular biology of poxviruses and the biochemistry necessary to develop immunity in animals. Furthermore, they have developed a proprietary delivery system that shouldthat should establish immunity to poxviruses in animals as though they - more - had been exposed to the live virus and survived," explained Dr. Stephen W. Drew, a leading biotechnology expert with Four Star Group. "This powerful stable of technology, juxtaposed with the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act of 2002, presents an incredible opportunity for both SIGA and the government. Given the specter of biological warfare, we are confident this is something decision-makers in Washington will want to know about and support.
" In December 2002 SIGA was awarded an initial federal government contract from the U.S. Army for $1.6 million to develop an effective Smallpox antiviral drug. The development work under the contract is being performed at SIGA's research facility in Corvallis, Oregon.
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About SIGA Technologies, Inc.
SIGA Technologies (www.siga.com) is applying bacterial genomics 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. With broad technology platforms in both vaccines and antibiotics, SIGA's product development programs emphasize the increasingly serious problem of drug resistant bacteria. SIGA's vaccine and antibiotic platforms are based on its pioneering research into the structure, function and processing of bacterial surface proteins. SIGA is leveraging these platforms through multiple strategic partners, including Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories (the pharmaceutical division of American Home Products) and the National Institutes of Health.
About Four Star Group
Four Star Group (FSG) is a marketing consulting firm that bridges the gap between the commercial and government sectors. With unparalleled knowledge of the bio-defense, technology, security, and intelligence industries, FSG's network of corporate leaders and military experts identifies and marries public sector business opportunities with cutting edge technologies developed in the private sector. By serving as the liaison between these two disparate worlds, FSG develops unique solutions that effectively address the nation's most critical information and security needs.
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