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To: GARY P GROBBEL who wrote (43217)	11/16/2005 3:35:33 PM
From: GARY P GROBBEL	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 120411

SIGA>..Rodney Dangerfield of the bio/pharmas...and they have a good lock on smallpox and continuing funding from Gov't...now, they are not the only company receiving funding from Gov't ref smallpox but their progress over last couple of years has been sizeable---today this.....and one of these days this one will go- SIGA Technologies Presents Its Smallpox Drug (SIGA-246) to the World Health Organization Wednesday November 16, 7:55 am ET NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2005--SIGA Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGA - News) announced that, on November 10, 2005, its Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Dennis E. Hruby, made a presentation, by invitation, to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The presentation was an update on the development status of SIGA's smallpox antiviral drug (SIGA-246) to the WHO Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research. "Given the central role of the WHO in safeguarding the health and well-being of the global citizenry, we appreciate the opportunity to introduce them to our promising smallpox antiviral drug," commented Dr. Hruby. ADVERTISEMENT In October 2005, SIGA announced that the company's lead smallpox compound, SIGA-246, completely protected golden ground squirrels from lethal doses of monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus is closely related to human smallpox virus and causes a similar disease in both monkeys and humans. SIGA-246, administered orally, demonstrated significant antiviral activity against the golden ground squirrel model of monkeypox disease. The study was conducted in the BSL-3 facility at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB). SIGA had announced in October 2004 that it had established the efficacy of SIGA-246 in several mouse models. Smallpox virus is considered one of the most significant threats for use as a biowarfare agent due to the fact that since 1972 people in the United States have not been vaccinated against it. Smallpox is very easily transmitted from person to person, and has high mortality rates (30-60%) with 90% morbidity. Weaponized smallpox virus may have an incubation period as short as 3-7 days. It is classified as a Category A agent by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Mass immunizations of the general population using the current live vaccines are not recommended. Available vaccines are known to cause complications in certain individuals, including encephalitis, myocarditis, disseminated vaccinia virus infection, and death. At present there is no treatment for smallpox that can be safely administered to the general population without significant risk of adverse reactions. 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 has the potential to become a significant force in the discovery of vaccine and pharmaceutical agents to fight emerging pathogens. SIGA's product development programs emphasize the increasingly serious problem of drug resistant bacteria and emerging pathogens. In addition to smallpox, SIGA has antiviral programs targeting other Category A pathogens, including arenaviruses (Lassa Fever Virus, Junin, Macupo, Guanarito, and Sabia), Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), Dengue, the filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg. For more information about SIGA, please visit SIGA's Web site at www.siga.com.