Seven-year-old Josh Hardy, a first-grader from Fredericksburg, Virginia, is set to receive an experimental antiviral drug after his family’s campaign for access drew national attention. Chimerix, the drug’s manufacturer, reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to begin a clinical trial, with Josh as its first patient.

Josh has survived several bouts of cancer since he was diagnosed with a rare kidney cancer at nine months old. Following a bone marrow transplant, his weakened immune system left him vulnerable to an adenovirus infection that spread throughout his body. He is in critical condition at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, experiencing heart and kidney failure.

His family and doctors had urged Chimerix to provide brincidofovir, which they hoped could fight the virus. The company initially declined, saying that providing the experimental drug through individual compassionate-use requests could slow its wider development. Chimerix CEO Kenneth Moch said the company had received more than 80 such requests over two years and wanted to find a way to help more patients.

Chimerix and the FDA agreed to expedite an open-label pilot study for 20 patients, beginning with Josh. The FDA also committed to working quickly with the company on the design of a larger Phase 3 study. St. Jude said the drug’s safety and effectiveness in children had not yet been established and emphasized that Josh’s condition remained critical and complex.

The family’s appeal prompted a nationwide response. Supporters organized social media campaigns, petitions, calls and emails, while local businesses and charities rallied around the family. Moch said the attention helped bring discussion to adenovirus infections and the need for further drug development, although he also reported that he and other Chimerix employees had received death threats.

Josh’s parents celebrated the agreement and thanked supporters and Chimerix. Moch said he hoped the study would help Josh and other patients in need.