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Peregrine Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PPHM) has recently reported the top-line results of the company’s Phase lb study of its targeted immunotherapy bavituximab in patients with chronic HCV infection.

The results indicate that Peregrine's novel immunotherapeutic drug was generally safe and well tolerated, with no dose limiting toxicities or serious adverse events reported. The preliminary results also indicate that bavituximab showed positive signs of dose dependent anti-viral activity.

Bavituximab is the first investigational agent in a new class of anti-phosphotidylserine (PS) immunotherapeutics – targeting and binding to cellular components that are normally not present on the outside of cells (but which become exposed on certain virally infected cells and on the surface of enveloped viruses). Bavituximab promoted stimulation of the body's immune defenses to destroy both the virus particles and the infected cells.

Find more details of the clinical data from the full report.