Aridis Pharmaceuticals said that its AR-701 inhaled monoclonal antibody cocktail effectively reduced viral load in rhesus macaques infected with SARS-CoV-2 and protected against lung disease in those animals over a 5-day period. The company received $1.9 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in January 2022 for preclinical development of its inhaled monoclonal antibodies against flu and SARS-CoV-2.
AR-701 includes two human mAbs: AR-703 and AR-720, which have been shown to bind to all SARS-CoV-2 variants in vitro. According to Aridis, both components of AR-701 bind to Omicron subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.4, and BA.5 as effectively as they do to the wild strain and are designed to retain effectiveness in the bloodstream for at least 6 months and up to 12 months.
Aridis Pharmaceuticals CEO Vu Truong commented, “An efficacy demonstration in non-human primates has been a key milestone and a correlate for clinical success in human trials. The observed strong prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy bodes well for AR-701 and is an important step forward. Given the challenges in maintaining high vaccination coverage and a protracted COVID-19 pandemic, there is a greater need to develop accessible, long-acting therapeutic treatments, especially treatments that can also effectively block person-to-person viral transmission. These data demonstrate that the inhaled, self-administered dosage form of half-life extended AR-701 is on track to meet this product profile.”
Read the Aridis Pharmaceuticals press release.
