Traws Pharma Inc. (TRAW), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, on Friday announced plans to advance potential clinical candidates for the treatment and prevention of Hantavirus infections.
Following the announcement, shares are up over 20% in the pre-market.
Traws specializes in the manufacture of small-molecule antiviral drugs targeting negative-strand RNA viruses, such as influenza, H5N1 bird flu, and SARS CoV-2. RNA viruses face obstacles in replicating their genomes during pathogenesis in eukaryotic cells, allowing for the small molecule antivirals to effectively target the viral bodies with high specificity and safety.
Hantaviruses are a group of negative-strand RNA viruses, commonly borne and transmitted by rodents. Transmission may occur from human to human, yet this is rarer. Fatality rates lie between 30% to 50%. Advanced cases can result in a severe respiratory disease called Hantaan pulmonary disease, which currently has no approved treatments.
The announcement from Traws comes after a recent Hantavirus breakout on a cruise ship, resulting in at least three reported deaths and several infected.
The company stated intentions to rapidly utilize its drug development and viral testing assets, and to access proprietary clinical libraries to design an effective drug against Hantavirus.
TRAW closed Thursday at $1.70. In the pre-market, shares are trading at $2.08, up 22.42%.
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