Hendra Virus Treatment Rights to be Gained by Queensland Health

Queensland Health is negotiating with authorities in the United States in a bid to gain intellectual property rights to a treatment for the Hendra virus.
The prophylactic treatment was flown into Brisbane from the US last week and given to a Sunshine Coast mother and daughter who were exposed to the virus from their horse.
It had never been trialed on humans before, but prevented Hendra in monkeys and ferrets when administered before symptoms developed.
Rebecca Day and her daughter Mollie, 12, on Thursday took their first infusion of the experimental treatment, developed in the US and Australia, after Mollie's horse Cash was found to have the virus and put down at their Tewantin property on May 17.
A Queensland Health spokeswoman told AAP the mother and daughter were doing well after being discharged from hospital on Saturday morning.
She said Queensland Health was hoping to get stockpiles of the antiserum in case more Hendra cases occur throughout the year.
Queensland Health says it wants to produce stocks of the treatment as soon as possible, in case there are any more outbreaks of the virus.
Primary Industries Minister Tim Mulherin said an updated Hendra information pack had been made available to vets during a Rockhampton Community Cabinet meeting on Sunday.