UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
__________________________
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): September 14, 2004
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SIGA Technologies, Inc.
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(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware 0-23047 13-3864870
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(State or other Jurisdiction of (Commission File (I.R.S. Employer
Incorporation or Organization) Number) Identification Number)
420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 601, New York, New York 10170
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(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 672-9100
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(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
N/A
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(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to
simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the
following provisions:
[ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17
CFR 230.425)
[ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12)
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the
Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
[ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the
Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
ITEM 7.01. Required FD Disclosure.
On September 14, 2004, SIGA Technologies, Inc., a Delaware corporation,
issued a press release pursuant to which it announced that it has been
designated as a prime contractor by the U. S. Air Force Surgeon General's office
to create systems for the rational development of vaccines and therapeutics
against potential agents of biological terrorism. This development program will
be funded by an existing $4 million congressional appropriation for fiscal year
2005. The funding is part of the Department of Defense Budget that recently
passed the House and Senate and was signed by President Bush. A copy of the
press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1, which is incorporated in this
Item 7.01 by reference.
ITEM 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(c) Exhibits
Exhibit No. Description
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99.1 Press Release dated September 14, 2004.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
SIGA TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
By: /s/ Thomas N. Konatich
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Thomas N. Konatich
Chief Financial Officer
Date: September 14, 2004
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit Number Description
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99.1 Press Release dated September 14, 2004.
Exhibit 99.1
Contact: Investor Contact:
Thomas N. Konatich Dianne Will
Chief Financial Officer Willstar Consultants, Inc.
SIGA Technologies, Inc. (518) 398-6222
(212) 672-9100 dwill@willstar.net
SIGA secures $4 Million in government funding for defense research
New York, September 14, 2004 -- SIGA Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIGA) today
announced that it has been designated as a prime contractor by the U. S. Air
Force Surgeon General's office to create systems for the rational development of
vaccines and therapeutics against potential agents of biological terrorism. This
development program will be funded by an existing $4 million congressional
appropriation for fiscal year 2005. The funding is part of the Department of
Defense Budget that recently passed the House and Senate and was signed by
President Bush.
The SIGA program will complement ongoing United States Air Force bioterrorism
countermeasure research into developing rapid detection and diagnostics
capabilities. "Knowing that an unconventional pathogen has been dispersed into
our environment and the identity of the pathogen is only half the battle" said
Dr. Dennis E. Hruby, Chief Scientific Officer of SIGA. "The challenge is to be
able to mount effectively a rapid response to blunt the infectious consequences
of the agent." The funding will support basic technology platform development at
SIGA using novel design approaches to develop pathogen-specific therapeutics.
The new methods will use genetic engineering to try to create safer
non-infectious vaccines that can be administered without injections.
Dr. Bernard Kasten, Chief Executive Officer of SIGA added. "The funding from
this appropriation combined with the recently announced $12 million grant award
from the National Institutes of Health will enable SIGA to enhance its position
as a leading developer of bioterrorism counter measures."
About SIGA Technologies, Inc.
SIGA Technologies is applying bacterial genomics 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. 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. SIGA is leveraging these platforms through multiple strategic
partners, including the National Institutes of Health and TransTech Pharma, Inc.
For more information about SIGA, please visit SIGA's Web site at www.siga.com.
This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such
statements, including statements regarding the efficacy and intended utilization
of SIGA's technologies under development, are not guarantees of future
performance. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations
contained in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such
differences include the risk that potential products that appeared promising in
early research or clinical trials to SIGA or its collaborators do not
demonstrate efficacy or safety in subsequent pre-clinical or clinical trials,
and the risk that SIGA or its collaborators will not obtain appropriate or
necessary governmental approvals to market products tested in such trials. More
detailed information about SIGA and the factors discussed above 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, 2002, and in
other documents that SIGA has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission. Investors and security holders are urged to read those documents
free of charge at the Commission's web site at www.sec.com. Those documents may
also be obtained free of charge from SIGA. SIGA does not undertake to publicly
update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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