Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers
BIOWIRE2K

NEW YORK----SIGA Technologies, Inc . Therefore, with the advice and support of the National
Institutes of Health (NIH), we are aggressively pursuing pre-clinical
development of the drug to enable advancing it towards human clinical
studies as soon as possible," said Dr. Kasten MD stated "SIGA's continued success
in the development of SIGA -246 as a safe and effective drug for the
treatment of Smallpox, along with SIGA's progress in advancing other
critical BioShield drugs needed to provide national and international
protection against Category A bioterrorist threats, positions SIGA as
an emerging leader in the biodefense sector.
"With more than 34 years of experience in hepatitis diagnostics, Abbott is
a leader in this field , developing and introducing many of the world's first
hepatitis assays," said William E. Often called the "silent epidemic,"
many individuals infected with the virus have no signs or symptoms of the
disease until chronic infection or chronic liver disease has developed.
Test menus include assays for abused drugs, cancer, cardiac, endocrinology,
fertility, hepatitis, infectious disease, metabolic /renal, therapeutic drug
monitoring and toxicology.

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SIGA has initiated IND-enabling scale-up
synthesis , formulation, pharmacology, and toxicology studies on the
drug in order to allow primate efficacy and human safety studies to be
performed later this year.
In addition to smallpox, SIGA also has antiviral programs
targeting other Category A pathogens which cause hemorrhagic fevers,
including the arenaviruses (Lassa Fever Virus, Junin, Macupo,
Guanarito, and Sabia), Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV),
Dengue, and the filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg.
SIGA's CEO Bernard L., Abbott (NYSE: ABT)
announced the availability of a fully automated hepatitis C virus (HCV) test
in the United States for its widely-used AxSYM(R) automated immunoassay
instrument system., vice president , Diagnostic
Assays and Systems Development, Abbott.

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Actual
results may differ materially from those anticipated in any
forward-looking statement.S.

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Smallpox virus is considered one of the most significant threats
for use as a bioterrorism agent due to the fact that since 1972 people
in the United States have not been vaccinated against it. For more information about SIGA,
please visit SIGA's Web site at www.

A Microparticle Enzyme Immunoassay (MEIA) test, the AxSYM Anti-HCV test is
designed for the qualitative detection of antibodies to HCV in human serum or
plasma and is not intended for use in blood, plasma or tissue screening.

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Forward-looking statements are based on management's
estimates, assumptions and projections, and are subject to
uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of SIGA. SIGA urges
investors and security holders to read those documents free of charge
at the Commission's Web site at http://www.

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SIGA does
not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking
statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The
company employs more than 60,000 people and markets its products in more than
130 countries.

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More detailed information about SIGA and risk factors
that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements,
including the forward-looking statements in this Press Release and the
above mentioned presentation, is set forth in SIGA's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including SIGA's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 , and in other
documents that SIGA has filed with the Commission.

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Based on an emerging understanding of
the mechanism of action and protective efficacy in four different
murine (mouse) challenge models, SIGA-246 has progressed to
preclinical lead status.siga.S.9 million Americans have been infected with HCV, of whom
2.
Additionally, there is no vaccine to prevent HCV.

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, Abbott introduced two fully automated tests for the
hepatitis A virus on the AxSYM system -- AxSYM(R) HAVAB-M(TM) 2.
Food and Drug Administration for its AxSYM hepatitis B tests, which are
currently available outside of the United States.7 million are chronically infected.

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At present there is
no treatment for smallpox that can be safely administered to the
general population without significant risk of adverse reactions .sec. With results within 23 minutes, the AxSYM(R) Anti-HCV test
provides laboratories with a quick and efficient test.

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It is classified as a Category A
agent by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Abbott has also submitted an application to the U.

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(NASDAQ: SIGA) today announced that their Smallpox drug, SIGA-246, has
entered preclinical development. "To date, all the data we 've generated
indicates that SIGA-246 is a very promising smallpox antiviral drug
candidate.

Abbott Introduces Automated Hepatitis C Test for AxSYM System

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SIGA Technologies is applying viral and bacterial genomics and
sophisticated computational modeling in the design and development of
novel products for the prevention and treatment of serious infectious
diseases, with an emphasis on products for biological warfare defense.

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This Press Release contains certain "forward-looking statements''
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995, as amended , including statements regarding the efficacy of
potential products, the timelines for bringing such products to market
and the availability of funding sources for continued development of
such products . Factors that may cause such differences
include the risks that (a) potential products that appear promising to
SIGA or its collaborators cannot be shown to be efficacious or safe in
subsequent pre-clinical or clinical trials, (b) SIGA or its
collaborators will not obtain appropriate or necessary governmental
approvals to market these or other potential products, (c) SIGA may
not be able to obtain promised funding for its development projects or
other needed funding, and (d) SIGA may not be able to secure or
enforce adequate legal protection, including patent protection, for
its products .0 assay and
AxSYM(R) HAVAB(R) 2.abbott.

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Smallpox is
very easily transmitted from person to person , and has high mortality
rates (30-60%) with 90% morbidity. Mass
immunizations of the general population using the current live vaccine
are not recommended, as there are known complications in certain
individuals from vaccination (including encephalitis, myocarditis,
disseminated vaccinia virus infection, and death). Abbott's hepatitis tests
are used everyday for blood screening and diagnostic testing.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an
estimated 3.

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SIGA is leveraging these platforms through
multiple strategic partners, including the National Institutes of
Health and TransTech Pharma, Inc.

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SIGA has the potential of becoming a significant force in the
discovery of vaccine and pharmaceutical agents to fight emerging
pathogens. SIGA's product development programs emphasize the
increasingly serious problem of drug resistant bacteria and emerging
pathogens.

SIGA's vaccine and drug platforms are based on its
pioneering research into the structure, function and processing of
bacterial surface proteins.0.

Abbott is a global, broad-based health care company devoted to the
discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals and
medical products, including nutritionals, devices and diagnostics.com .

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"

About SIGA Technologies , Inc. - Sensitive and Efficient AxSYM(R) Anti-HCV Test Detects the Presence of
Antibodies to the Hepatitis C Virus -

ABBOTT PARK, Ill.

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"Not only is the AxSYM Anti -HCV test
sensitive and specific, but also it has been designed and developed to detect
the known genotypes of HCV.

About AxSYM
The AxSYM immunoassay system can process up to 80 to 120 tests per hour.

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SIGA Announces Lead Smallpox Drug SIGA-246 is in Preclinical Development

Dennis E.gov.D.

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Hruby, Chief
Scientific Officer of SIGA. The presence of
antibodies to HCV indicate that an individual may have been infected with HCV
in the past or have an ongoing infection .

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Interested parties
may also obtain those documents free of charge from SIGA."
Last year in the U.

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Brown, Ph.
Abbott's news releases and other information are available on the
company 's Web site at http://www.