ViroPharma Incorporated Plunges After Liver Drug's Effects Abate; Generic Looms

November 10, 2005 16:31 EST -- Shares of ViroPharma Inc. dropped as much as 21 percent after a drug the company is testing failed to keep down levels of hepatitis C virus in people with the liver infection. Also, late Wednesday, Piper Jaffray analyst Thomas Wei said in a report that a drug development deal between Akorn Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical firm, and an Indian drug manufacturer could be the first attempt to develop a generic version of Vancocin, an antibiotic that has boosted Viropharma's sales since it bought the drug from Eli Lilly & Co. in December. The drug lost its patent protection before Viropharma bought it.