Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (ABUS)

[MinnieM]

What Does the Future Hold for Tekmira’s Ebola Program?
http://www.cantechletter.com/2015/06/what-does-the-future-hold-for-tekmiras-ebola-program/
June 22, 2015 By Hogan Mullally

Partial

Tekmira’s transition from being a RNAi company into a HBV company began in 2013 and was consummated earlier this year through the merger with OnCore BioPharma, a U.S. based HBV-focused drug development company. So Friday’s news of an apparent setback in its RNAi-based ebola program, although disappointing, likely re-affirmed to Tekmira that it was right to focus on HBV.

The question now, is what will become of Tekmira’s ebola program? The answer will likely emerge in a few weeks once more data from the Sierra Leone study is reported. Perhaps the broader question is whether an ebola program even belongs in the new HBV-focused Tekmira. The discussion around whether Tekmira should sell or spin-out its non-HBV assets has been percolating ever since the OnCore merger, but recently gathered more attention after one of the analysts covering Tekmira put out a note highlighting the potential for the company to be split into two. This seems like a logical choice for Tekmira, and Friday’s news on its ebola program and the subsequent market reaction, likely galvanized their resolve to becoming a 100% focused on HBV.