Edge Therapies in Demand

Virionyx – the NZ company behind an experimental new AIDS drug – has been hired by two US organisations to develop therapies for diseases such as SARS. Said PM Helen Clark, at the opening of Virionyx’s new Mangere headquarters; “These developments at Virionyx are a significant step for the NZ biotechnology industry and one that will boost its international profile.” Virionyx is to develop antibody and antiviral treatments for SARS, West Nile virus, dengue fever, smallpox, anthrax, plague, tularaemia, and botulism for the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute and ZeptoMetrix biotechnology firm.