Aridis Pharmaceuticals Inc (ARDS)

[ProfitScout]

The timing looks very good for ARDS. Note that the company currently has multiple products in the clinical trial stage up to Phase 3 which is the final level. These products can deliver great benefits for infection control which is becoming increasingly important today.

From ARDS:

Clinical Program Update

AR-301: AR-301 is being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical study as an adjunctive treatment to standard of care antibiotics in S. aureus infected ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) patients. Thus far, the pace of the trial has continued to be impacted by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic. The Phase 3 interim futility analysis from the ongoing pivotal trial is now expected to be reported in 2H 2021 and top line data by 1H 2022. It's important to note that COVID-19 patients on prolonged mechanical ventilation in the intensive care unit (ICU) are prone to secondary infections (also called 'superinfections') by opportunistic pathogens such as bacteria. Superinfection is a reported complication in COVID-19 patients, which exacerbates morbidity and the rate of mortality. The AR-301 Phase 3 study allows for the enrollment of patients with baseline characteristics which are inclusive of certain COVID-19 patients. While AR-301 is not an agent to treat SARS-CoV-2 virus itself, it can potentially reduce the morbidity associated with secondary S. aureus pneumonia, which is a coronavirus complication and a contributing cause of death in such patients.

The trial is expected to enroll 240 patients at approximately 160 clinical centers in 22 countries. Participating clinical centers that are activated continue to follow standard stringent clinical protocols and procedures for critically ill VAP patients, as is standard in the U.S. and Europe. The trial represents the first ever Phase 3 superiority clinical study evaluating immunotherapy with a fully human monoclonal antibody to treat acute pneumonia in the intensive care unit setting. Details of the study can be viewed on www.clinicaltrials.gov using identifier NCT03816956.

AR-501: During the quarter, ARDS initiated the Phase 2a study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetic, and preliminary efficacy evaluation in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The Phase 2a is set to enroll 42 cystic fibrosis adult patients and is expected to complete enrollment by the end of 2021.

AR-501 is being developed in collaboration with the CF Foundation and has been granted Orphan Drug Designation (ODD), Fast Track and Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designations by the FDA. In addition, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted ODD to AR-501. The original Phase 1/2a clinical trial was a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled SAD and MAD trial investigating the safety and PK of inhaled AR-501 in healthy volunteers and cystic fibrosis patients with chronic bacterial lung infections. Details of the original Phase 1/2a clinical trial can be viewed on http://www.clinicaltrials.gov using identifier NCT03669614.