Atriva Therapeutics
Atriva aims to develop new antiviral therapies against different respiratory viral infections. Founded in 2015, Atriva attracted seasoned experts in virology and drug development to form a unique venture targeting the fast and successful validation of a novel approach to fight infectious diseases.
ATR-002 targets the intracellular Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway
Atriva’s lead product ATR-002 is a first-in-class host-targeting agent which inhibits viral replication in influenza and favorably modulates the body’s immune response. ATR-002 has successfully completed a Phase I trial to demonstrate safety and tolerability in healthy subjects (NCT04385420). A Phase II study to evaluate efficacy in hospitalized COVID-19 patients obtained approval from German drug authority (BfArM). The first patient was dosed in April 2021 (NCT04776044). Clinical Phase II in influenza is planned to start later in 2021.
Its mechanism of action offering a dual benefit – antiviral activity and immunomodulation – uniquely positions ATR-002 as a promising therapeutic candidate which holds strong potential in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The small molecule could prevent a cytokine storm and the associated disease progression to a life-threatening condition in patients with COVID-19. Treating moderately to severely-ill patients aims to reduce the number of critically ill people, otherwise referred to ICUs and requiring more invasive treatment options. This could fundamentally impact COVID-19 outcomes and can be vital for national health systems, patients and families.