Biotech Values

[vinmantoo]

Why does Tang want to acquire AVIR? Presumably for AVIR’s COVID drug, AT-527, such as it is. AT-527 is a polymerase inhibitor that is similar to an HCV drug BMY dropped several years ago due to toxicity. AVIR is conducting a phase-3 trial in high-risk COVID patients using a daily dose of 1100 mg (550mg BID); the trial listing is at: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05629962 .

How can they be running a phase 3 trial of Covid patients? Our buddy Jake said you can't run phase 3 trials with anti-Covid drugs because the FDA wouldn't allow it. This is a placebo controlled trial, not a non-inferiority trial in comparison to Paxlovid, the latter being what you suggested ENTA might do for EDP-235.