Aridis Pharmaceuticals

Aridis Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel anti-infective therapies for life-threatening infections. Their key product candidates are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) discovered and manufactured using their proprietary ͞aPEX and MabIgX technology platforms. These allow rapid identification of rare, potent antibodies from patients who have recovered from an infection and manufacturing of human-derived mAbs as therapeutic treatments.

Aridis' pipeline centers on mAb therapies for infections like ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) and hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP). Their lead candidate AR-301 is a fully human IgG1 mAb targeting the Staphylococcus aureus alpha-toxin which causes disease in S. aureus pneumonia. AR-301 is in Phase 3 clinical trials as an adjunctive therapy for S. aureus VAP. Another candidate, AR-320, targets the same toxin and is in Phase 3 for prevention of VAP in S. aureus colonized, mechanically ventilated patients.

For lung infections in cystic fibrosis, Aridis is developing AR-501, an inhaled formulation of gallium citrate with broad anti-infective effects. AR-501 has completed Phase 2a studies. The company also has preclinical stage antiviral mAb candidates like AR-701, a cocktail targeting SARS-CoV-2.

Aridis believes its mAb approach can overcome limitations of antibiotics like increasing drug resistance and microbiome disruption. By leveraging the natural potency of antibodies against pathogens, their therapies aim for improved efficacy and targeted mechanisms compared to conventional antibiotics.

Key customers and partnerships

Aridis has licensed certain programs to partners like the Serum Institute of India and Shenzhen Arimab for the AR-101 and AR-201 mAbs targeting hospital-acquired pneumonia and respiratory syncytial virus respectively.

In December 2022, Aridis signed an exclusive term sheet to license Mapp Biopharmaceutical's pan-Ebola and pan-Marburg mAb programs, which have received around USD 190 million in funding from BARDA covering manufacturing through potential approval.