BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(NASDAQ:BCRX), says it has received an initial order for 10,000 courses of intravenous peramivir (600 mg once-daily for five days) with a value of $22.5 million under a newly issued contract with the Department of Health and Human Services .

The company said that it shipped about 10,000 courses of the treatment Wednesday and that they expect to produce more by the end of the year.

"BioCryst is pleased to deliver this initial U.S. Government order for peramivir for use under the Emergency Use Authorization, or EUA, to treat hospitalized adult and pediatric influenza patients who may benefit from peramivir," said Jon P. Stonehouse, President and Chief Executive Officer at BioCryst. "We expect to complete production of approximately 120,000 additional courses of i.v. peramivir by the end of December, and we are prepared to produce more if required to meet orders for the U.S. or other governments. BioCryst has been in contact with a number of governments around the world that are assessing i.v. peramivir for critically ill influenza patients."

The government has authorized use of peramivir as a treatment for the swine flu, but clinical testing is expected to continue until 2011. The drug is an intravenous drug intended to treat the flu in patients who are hospitalized, and too sick to take an oral or nasal myst treatment.

Under the emergency use authorization, the experimental drug would be given to some adult or pediatric patients who are not responding to either oral or inhaled anti-viral therapy. Also, it would be given when only intravenous treatment is considered dependable in individual cases or if a doctor judges that that intravenous therapy is appropriate.

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