Atriva Therapeutics Announces Clinical Strategy to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Biopharmaceutical company, Atriva Therapeutics, has announced, in a May 28, 2020 press release, that it will develop ATR-002, an oral small molecule, for treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 that require hospitalization in a Phase II study.

The company’s lead product candidate, ATR-002, has already been proven in preclinical trials to block viral propagation of SARS-CoV-2 and have an immunomodulatory effect that leads to decreased cytokine and chemokine release. The antiviral therapy has been specifically developed to treat respiratory viral infections by inhibiting MEK. Relevant European patents have been filed for by the company.

“With ATR-002, we developed a small molecule to specifically address the major need for an efficient antiviral therapy for severe respiratory infections caused by RNA viruses,” said Dr. Rainer Lichtenberger, co-founder and CEO of Atriva, in the press release. “ATR-002 could be a game changer in the current pandemic as we see high potential for a patient-friendly, oral medication that fundamentally impacts COVID-19 outcomes. To develop ATR-002 for COVID-19 is therefore a logical step in these times and possibly vital for national health systems, patients and families. Our influenza development programs will benefit strongly from synergies in clinical development and scale-up in the production of ATR-002.”

“The preclinical findings are very encouraging. Treating moderately to severely-sick patients aims to reduce the number of critically ill people, otherwise referred to ICUs and requiring more invasive treatment options,” added Dr. Martin Bauer, Atriva chief medical officer, in the press release. “From the earliest stages of development, it has been our ambition to provide a powerful antiviral to treat influenza and other severe respiratory viral infections. At this point, finding an effective therapy to treat moderate to severe cases of COVID-19 is essential for national healthcare systems as we anticipate pandemic infections to remain on the public health agenda.”

A multinational, double-blind, randomized, Phase II clinical study is being started by Atriva, which will aim to demonstrate the efficacy of ATR-002 against moderate COVID-19, in comparison to placebo, in hospitalized patients.

Source: Atriva Therapeutics