Aridis Stock Rallies After Positive Preclinical Data For COVID-19 Antibody Against Omicron

Aridis Pharmaceuticals Inc ARDS stock is surging after announcing encouraging preclinical data for pan coronavirus fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb) cocktail AR-701.

• The data show that the antibody is broadly reactive against the omicron and other COVID-19 variants, SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome), MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus), and seasonal ('common cold') human coronaviruses.  
• Related Link: Aridis Pharma's COVID-19 Antibody Neutralizes Delta Variant In Animal Model.
• AR-703, one of the components of the AR-701 cocktail, binds to the 'S2' stalk region of coronavirus spike proteins responsible for viral fusion and entry into host cells and binds to the omicron variant with no loss in affinity as compared to the original Wuhan strain. 
• In vitro neutralization studies using live coronaviruses showed that AR-701 achieved broad, potent neutralization against all SARS-CoV-2 variants tested.
• AR-701 is engineered to be long-acting and is expected to provide appropriate drug levels for up to 1 year from prophylactic or therapeutic treatment.
• Price Action: ARDS shares are up 80.7% at $4.59 during the premarket session on the last check Tuesday.