BioCryst Pharmaceuticals,Inc. (BCRX)

[JAG626]

January 11 news release

BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- German drugmaker Merck KGaA and U.K. firm Hikma Pharmaceuticals have entered into a deal with BioCryst Pharmaceuticals /quotes/comstock/15*!bcrx/quotes/nls/bcrx (BCRX 8.15, -0.01, -0.12%) to help market BioCryst's H1N1 treatment peramivir in various territories outside the U.S., according to BioCryst. Merck KGaA will represent the product in Europe, Russia, Canada and Singapore, while Hikma will promote the product in various nations of the Middle East and North Africa. "Each of these companies has strong commercial infrastructures and established regulatory contacts in their respective territories, making them attractive partners for peramivir within these important markets," said Jon Stonehouse, BioCryst's chief executive officer, in a statement. "BioCryst has received peramivir emergency use inquiries from various countries in these regions, and we look forward to working with Merck Serono and Hikma to make peramivir available during the ongoing influenza pandemic