AVI BioPharma, Tekmira up on DoD contracts

Shares of AVI BioPharma Inc. (NASDAQ:AVII) and Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. (TSX:TKM) gained on Friday after the U.S. Department of Defense awarded each company an infectious disease contract. AVI BioPharma is eligible to receive up to $291 million to develop AVI-6002 and AVI-6003 to treat infections caused by Ebola and Marburg viruses, respectively. Tekmira is eligible for up to $140 million to develop an RNAi therapeutic utilizing its stable nucleic acid-lipid particle (SNALP) technology to treat Ebola virus infection. AVI was up $0.18 (11%) to $1.81 on Friday. Tekmira gained C$0.48 (36%) to C$1.82. ...