October 19, 2020 -- Anti-infective therapies firm Aridis Pharmaceuticals has developed an inhalable highly neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) that eradicated the novel coronavirus in infected rodents.
The company tested its candidate, AR-711, in a preclinical study on Syrian hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2. The infected hamsters received a single exposure of inhaled AR-711 liquid aerosols, which eliminated detectable viral loads at all dose levels tested, including just 0.03 mg/kg, according to Aridis.
The therapeutic worked at lower doses than injected COVID-19 antibodies, the company noted. Aridis said the candidate's potency may be a result of its direct delivery to the lungs.
Aridis used a proprietary formula to stabilize the candidate and allow for delivery with a commercial nebulizer. This format could allow for wide-scale use in a variety of nonhospital settings, the company noted.
Aridis discovered the antibody from convalescent plasma in patients with COVID-19 and engineered it to last up to 12 months in blood, according to the company. It works by targeting the receptor-binding domain region in the novel coronavirus and emerging variants.
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