Traws Pharma Inc. said May 27 that it is advancing development of a proprietary broad-spectrum antiviral combination therapy aimed at combating deadly viruses, including Hantavirus, Ebola, and Lassa fever.
The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which is headquartered in Newtown, Pa., said the investigational treatment uses a “dual-strike” mechanism designed to disrupt how viruses replicate inside human cells.
According to the company, one part of the therapy depletes a host cell’s natural nucleotide supply, while the second component forces the virus to use drug-based nucleoside mimics instead.
C. David Pauza, chief science officer of Traws Pharma, said the new treatment works by making it harder for viruses to use the building blocks they need to reproduce, forcing them to use the drug instead.
“This maximizes the therapeutic potency against Hantavirus (Bunyavirus) Ebola (Filovirus) and Lassa (Arenavirus), while minimizing potential toxicity and achieving high efficacy at lower doses,” said Pauza.
Both components of the therapy have previously been evaluated safely in human studies as individual agents, according to Traws Pharma, which said it is moving forward with non-clinical testing in animal models for Hantavirus and Ebola, with studies planned in Biosafety Level 3 and Biosafety Level 4 laboratories.
“To ensure rapid response capabilities, given the ongoing outbreaks of Hantavirus and Ebola, Traws Pharma is concurrently scaling up its chemical development and manufacturing infrastructure to enable an immediate supply of the therapeutic combination to appropriate health agencies for immediate use and potential stockpiling,” said Iain Dukes, chief executive officer of Traws Pharma.
The company also said it plans to expand manufacturing efforts in Nigeria through its existing relationship with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to support local production and improve access to treatments across Africa.
“By pairing a powerful host-targeted mechanism with nucleotide antivirals, we are presenting a formidable barrier to viral replication and resistance,” said Robert Redfield, chief medical officer of Traws Pharma and former head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our developing cooperation with NAFDAC and AMA Medical Manufacturing should ensure that as we finalize our data and scale production, we are fully prepared to transition from the lab straight to the frontlines of global public health and potential stockpiling,” Redfield added. “We look forward to expanding our interactions with the appropriate regional health agencies, including the CDC.”