BioCryst, Answer for Swine Flu H1N1 Vaccine Shortages? (BCRX)

October 26, 2009 · Filed Under fda, flu 

I have been a pretty upset US citizen so far this Fall ahead of flu season.  I cannot find available regular flu shots at any of my go-to spots.  Many drug stores in Houston even have the recording on their telephone answering systems that they do not have the seasonal flu vaccines at this time.  And as far as the H1N1 or swine flu vaccine, forget about getting easy access to it.  BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCRX) may be one answer.  But the stress here is on ‘may.’

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: BCRX) is trading higher on H1N1 or swine flu news this morning.  The company’s intravenous experimental drug called peramivir received an “emergency use authorization” by the FDA in response to a request from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The emergency use authorization for peramivir is for certain adult and pediatric patients with confirmed or suspected 2009 H1N1 influenza infection who are admitted to a hospital.

This is good news, except that this is solely for patients admitted into the hospital.  By the time most people decide they have to go to the hospital, they are probably already having severe health issues.

BioCryst is likely to see an immediate boost from this.  The company generated a mere $56.561 million in 2008 revenues, down from $71.238 million in 2007 revenues.  And the revenue estimates from Wall Street are too few to know if they are even legitimate “consensus figures.”  But the estimates appear to be $23.71 million for 2009 and $51.29 million for 2010 according to Thomson Reuters.

At 9:45 AM EST we have BioCryst shares trading up 14.7% at $11.08, and we have already seen 150% of its normal average trading volume with over 4.1 million shares having traded hands.

JON C. OGG
OCTOBER 26, 2009

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