“Antimicrobials really aren’t getting the love lately,” said Dr. Vu Truong, CEO of Aridis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ARDS) as he reviewed the latest data on his own company’s antimicrobial treatment for COVID-19. “But COVID may wind up changing that.”
Truong’s viewpoint reflects a variety of trends currently seen in the treatment of infectious diseases. Key among these is antibiotic resistance – in which some bacteria can naturally resist certain kinds of antibiotics or become resistant if their genes change or they acquire drug-resistant genes from other bacteria. The unfortunate result is that the longer and more often antibiotics are used, the less effective they are against those bacteria.
But COVID has brought antimicrobials – specifically, the antibodies our bodies use to fight COVID – back into the spotlight, and Dr. Truong’s company is doubling down on their potential by innovating a new antimicrobial treatment that may prove to be as effective as a vaccine in preventing COVID infections and serious symptoms.
“The idea that antimicrobial monoclonal antibodies are effective in fighting COVID is not new,” he added. “They were given to former President Trump after he was diagnosed with COVID and have been promoted by physicians and politicians alike as we’ve continued to learn more about how effectively they fight the virus.”
Both AstraZeneca’s and Regeneron’s anti-COVID antibody cocktails are also showing preventative value against the viruses, both companies announced in late 2021. AstraZeneca revealed recent data showing the potential for 6 months of protection against COVID, while Regeneron reported about 8 months of protection.
“But what if I told you that a more refined antibody treatment could extend that protection for upwards of one or even two years?” asked Truong. “Because that’s what we believe is possible with Ardis’s antibody treatment, AR-701.”
“It’s like an anti-COVID smart bomb that keeps working for up to a year or more,” he added. “While typical antibody treatments have a half-life of three to four weeks, AR-701 has a half-life of three to four months, which accounts for the prolonged timeframe for antiviral protection and begins to overlap with the dosing timeframe of vaccines.”
This kind of protection could not only help protect those with COVID, but also help close the gap with regard to those who are vaccine-hesitant.
“The vaccines have been freely available for more than a year,” Truong said. “It’s clear that those who were inclined to receive a vaccine have received it, and those who are not inclined – for whatever reason – aren’t being swayed to reverse their choice. Compounding this challenge is Omicron and future variants prompting additional burdensome vaccine booster shots. That said, many of those who have rejected the vaccine have accepted antibody treatments. Our attitude is that protection is protection, and we are in the business of providing people with more choices with regard to COVID prevention and treatments.”
The AR-701 antibody cocktail treatment will be in testing and human clinical trials for another 12 months, but when it’s market-ready, Truong hopes that some people will consider it as a substitute for a vaccine if they remain vaccine-hesitant or as a way to better manage and recover if they suffer a breakthrough infection.
Gary S. Goldman is the nationally recognized host of “Business, Politics, & Lifestyles” a weekly talk show airing on WPRO in Providence RI. Learn more at garyonbpl.com.
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