SIGA Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: SIGA) announced after the close Wednesday that its lead smallpox drug, ST-246, demonstrated 100% protection against death in cynomolgus monkeys showing signs of infection with monkeypox virus.

“We are encouraged and believe that this drug candidate may represent a practical solution to treating disease in a wider population where rapid laboratory-based diagnosis is not practical,” said Dr. John Huggins, Chief of the Viral Therapeutics Branch of The U.S. Department of Defense's Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

SIGA is a biotechnology firm focused on applying viral and bacterial genomics to develop products for the prevention and treatment of serious infectious diseases.

Shares of SIGA bolted up 21.88%, or $0.79, to $4.40 in pre-market trading.

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