Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Raises $7.1 Million...( PALO ALTO Calif. Feb. 24 /- Eiger...)

PALO ALTO, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a start-up biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced that it has raised $7.1 million in a Series A financing co-led by InterWest Partners and Vivo Ventures. The two firms were instrumental in the formation of the company and recruitment of its team and are represented on the board of directors by general partners Nina Kjellson and Dr. Edgar Engelman, respectively. The funding will advance the company's lead program targeted against NS4B, a specific region in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protein, as well as progress lead identification for other proprietary targets.

Eiger is led by President and Chief Executive Officer David Cory, RPh, MBA, whose background spans over 20 years in large pharma, biotechnology, and specialty pharma with an established track record of commercial success, financial transactions, business development, and management experience. "We believe that disrupting the normal function of NS4B and NS5A proteins will lead to uniquely effective hepatitis C treatments," said David Cory, President and CEO of Eiger. "Our mission is to advance these novel small molecules into the clinic rapidly for the benefit of patients."

Eiger was founded on research conducted by Stanford professor Jeffrey Glenn, MD, PhD, whose recent research focuses on specific regions of HCV proteins NS4B and NS5A required for viral replication. "The unmet medical need in HCV treatment is significant," said Dr. Glenn. "Developing small molecule drugs and drug combinations against new HCV targets could change the HCV treatment paradigm and combat the emergence of drug resistance to new HCV polymerase and protease inhibitors." Dr. Glenn is Associate Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Stanford University and Director of the Center for Hepatitis and Liver Tissue Engineering; he wi
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