the white house speaks !

Hi,

I´ve had a look "REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT ON U.S. PREPARATIONS FOR 2009-H1N1 INFLUENZA" that was released today...

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS - this is MASSIVE news for Biota,
both Relenza and Lani !!

I have highlighted the most important parts for you,
see below.

It´s a shame that Bta is not listed on Nasdaq.
Have a look at the sp of Biocryst/Peramivir, +30% today...
But I hope these news will bring a MASSIVE jump for Bta.

Best regards

Eric
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Beyond this scenario, alternative scenarios are needed to take into account the possibility that major assumptions are incorrect. In particular, four variations are of notable importance:
1. A milder scenario in which the number of deaths and severe cases is much lower than outlined here, perhaps because many mild cases or infections without symptoms were missed in the spring, leading to an overestimate of the severity.
2. A MODIFIED SCENARIO IN WHICH A LARGE FRACTION (E.G., ONE-THIRD) OF 2009-H1N1 CASES ARE RESISTANT TO OSELTAMIVIR (TAMIFLU) BY THE PEAK OF THE EPIDEMIC, REDUCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AN IMPORTANT METHOD FOR MITIGATING THE EPIDEMIC.
3. A more severe scenario, in which changes in the virus result in elevated rates of hospitalization,
intensive care demand, and death. In this case, the focus of severe disease may shift more toward the general population, making focused attention on groups that showed high-risk in the spring less of a priority.
4. A delayed scenario in which transmission does not increase dramatically in the early autumn, so that vaccine availability precedes the peak of the epidemic, reducing the number of subsequent cases by conferring protection through immunization.

BOX 5B: ANTIVIRAL DRUGS FOR INFLUENZA
Two classes of antiviral drugs have been developed and approved for use in the treatment of influenza.
One class, the amantadines, blocks the virus life cycle by interfering with a small viral protein called M2. This class of drug is not effective in the treatment of either 2009-H1N1 virus or the current
seasonal influenza viruses and is thus not considered further here.
The second class, the neuraminidase inhibitors, includes two agents—oseltamivir (TamiFlu, taken orally) and zanamivir (Relenza, inhaled)—that are FDA-approved and widely used as prophylaxis
against disease (among those known or likely to be exposed to infected individuals) and as treatment (for patients diagnosed with influenza). Treatment is most successful when begun soon after infection; the agents also reduce the amount of infectious virus produced by infected individuals. The drugs are often used in the management of severe influenza, but intravenous delivery of these two agents, or of a third agent (peramivir), in advanced stages of development, has not yet been approved by the FDA. [B]RESISTANCE TO THESE AGENTS, ESPECIALLY OSELTAMIVIR, AS A RESULT OF VIRAL MUTATION OR GENETIC RECOMBINATION, CAN BE A MAJOR FACTOR LIMITING ANTIVIRAL EFFECTIVENESS; SEASONAL INFLUENZA VIRUSES INCREASINGLY SHOW RESISTANCE TO OSELTAMIVIR, BUT THUS FAR ONLY A FEW OF THE MANY ISOLATES OF 2009-H1N1 VIRUS HAVE SHOWN RESISTANCE TO OSELTAMIVIR.

Facilitate Development of Additional Antiviral Drugs
THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO EXPAND THE AVAILABLE RANGE OF ANTIVIRAL DRUGS THAT CAN BE USED FOR PROPHYLAXIS OR TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA. Currently, there is only a handful of antiviral drugs and only two that are licensed and expected to be effective against 2009-H1N1: the oral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and the inhaled drug zanamivir (Relenza). There currently are no antiviral drugs approved for intravenous use to treat seriously ill patients—although one new drug (peramivir) and the two existing drugs are also being tested in intravenous formulations.
MOREOVER, THESE OPTIONS MAY NARROW FURTHER AS INFLUENZA VIRUSES DEVELOP RESISTANCE TO THESE DRUGS. MOST SEASONAL INFLUENZA HAS ALREADY DEVELOPED RESISTANCE TO OSELTAMIVIR, AND A HANDFUL OF CASES OF OSELTAMIVIR-RESISTANCE HAVE BEEN REPORTED AMONG 2009-H1N1 ISOLATES (NINE AS OF THE END OF JULY), INDICATING THAT THIS VIRUS CAN ALSO DEVELOP RESISTANCE.