ARDS stock got a bullish commentary from H.C. Wainwright following the revelation that the company received money from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
H.C. Wainwright bullish on Aridis after funding from Gates Foundation
H.C. Wainwright analyst Vernon Bernardino notes that Aridis Pharmaceuticals announced it received a grant award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to evaluate application of Aridis’ inhaled biologics formulation technology to deliver cost-effective monoclonal antibodies against influenza and SARSCoV2 to people in low- and middle-income countries. The analyst is positive on the news, as he believes support from BMGF is strong validation of the potential of Aridis’ formulation technology, which enables self-administration of prophylactic and therapeutic antibodies directly to the upper or lower airways of the respiratory tract. Further, Bernandino thinks the company’s technology could enhance bioavailability of mAbs to the site where respiratory viruses initially infect, replicate, and shed to disseminate through person-to-person transmission. The analyst has a Buy rating and a price target of $19 on the shares.
Aridis Pharmaceuticals Receives Funding to Evaluate Inhaled Monoclonal Antibodies to Block Influenza and SARS-CoV-2 Transmission
On January 27, 2022, Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of novel anti-infective therapies to treat life-threatening infections, received a grant award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (‘Gates Foundation’) to evaluate the application of Aridis’ inhaled formulation technology to deliver cost-effective monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against influenza and SARS-CoV2 to people in low- and middle-income countries.
- The mAbs will be manufactured using a novel, spirulina-based platform technology developed by Lumen Bioscience, a funding collaborator for this project. Lumen Bio’s platform offers the ability to produce therapeutic proteins at a fraction of the cost of conventional mammalian cell line technologies.
- Aridis’ formulation technology enables self-administration of prophylactic and therapeutic antibodies directly to the upper or lower airways of the respiratory tract, enhancing the bioavailability of mAbs to the site where respiratory viruses initially infect, replicate, and shed to disseminate through person-to-person transmission
- Inhaled, local delivery substantially reduces the dose required to achieve a therapeutic effect against respiratory viruses (by over 100-fold as compared to intravenous or intramuscular injections), thereby reducing the cost of treatment
- Aridis’ formulation technology has demonstrated the ability to stabilize mAbs at room temperature and can be packaged in a compact powder capsule for delivery from disposable dry powder inhalers
“We are gratified to receive support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which underscores the importance of applying advanced inhalation technology to combat infection and transmission of respiratory viruses such as COVID-19 and influenza,” said Vu Truong, Ph.D. CEO of Aridis. “The combination of dose sparing achieved by inhaled delivery and algae sourced mAbs has the potential to dramatically reduce the cost of antiviral treatment and expand the access of mAbs worldwide,” said Truong.
This award of $1.9m titled ‘Transmission Blockage with Ultra-low Cost Inhaled Antibodies’ funds the preclinical development of stabilized liquid aerosols and room temperature stable inhalable dry powders containing anti-influenza and anti-SARS-CoV2 mAbs that are manufactured from spirulina algae. It also funds animal safety and efficacy testing in virus challenge animal models. Pending the outcome of preliminary results, the Gates Foundation has the option to continue funding through preclinical IND enabling activities and through Phase 1/2a human clinical trial. Aridis collaborators for the funding awards include Lumen Bioscience, the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Aridis’ formulation technology is comprised of stabilized liquid and spray dried powder technologies designed for effective inhaled delivery and long-term storage at ambient temperature. The company’s liquid formulation technology is designed to protect the protein from physical stress imparted by nebulizer devices during aerosol generation and delivery. The company’s dry powder formulation technology converts proteins or complex vaccines that require refrigerators or freezers for storage and distribution into ambient temperature (25°C) stable products with shelf lives that are measured in years.
The Company will host a conference call and webcast today, January 27, at 4:15 p.m. ET. Shareholders and other interested parties may participate in the conference call by dialing 1-877-407-9208 (U.S. Toll-Free) or 1-201-493-6784 (International) a few minutes before the 4:15 p.m. ET start time. An audio-only webcast is also available by visiting: https://viavid.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1526752&tp_key=84f20f416e
For interested individuals unable to join the conference call, a dial-in replay of the call will be available until February 10 and can be accessed by dialing +1-844-512-2921 (U.S. Toll Free) or +1-412-317-6671 (International) and entering replay pin number: 13726746.
Aridis has potential first-in-class monoclonal antibody, says H.C. Wainwright
On December 29, 2021, H.C. Wainwright analyst Vernon Bernardino reiterates a Buy rating on Aridis Pharmaceuticals with a $19 price target after the company last week announced that AR-701 is broadly reactive against the omicron variant, other COVID-19 variants, severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome and the common cold. AR-701 is potentially a first-in-class monoclonal antibody cocktail given that it binds to the S2 spike protein subunit, which mediates viral cell membrane fusion in SARS-CoV-2 variants, and also binds to the omicron variant with no loss in affinity compared to the original Wuhan strain, Bernardino tells investors in a research note. The analyst looks for initiation of Phase 1 testing with AR-701 as a positive catalystA stock catalyst is an engine that will drive your stock either up or down. A catalyst could be news of a new contract, SEC filings, earnings and revenue beats, merger and acquisit... for Aridis shares in early 2022.
📉 ARDS Stock Technical Analysis
The long-term trend is still negative, but the short-term trend is neutral. It is advised to wait a little bit longer to see how this turns out. Volume is considerably higher in the last couple of days, which is what you like to see during a strong movement up. Prices have been rising strongly lately, it may be a good idea to wait for a consolidation or pullback before considering an entry. ARDS is part of the Biotechnology industry. There are 637 other stocks in this industry, of which 68% are performing better than ARDS. ARDS is currently trading in the lower part of its 52-week range, which is not a good signal. Agreed, the S&P500 Index is also not doing fantastic, but it still sitting in the middle of its 52-week range.
There is support at 2.04 from a trend line in the daily time frame. There is also a support zone ranging from 1.73 to 1.75. This zone is formed by a combination of multiple trend lines in multiple time frames.
There is resistance at 2.52 from a trend line in the daily time frame.
The technical rating of ARDS is bad and it also does not present a quality setup at the moment. ARDS stock has a Setup Rating of 2 out of 10. Prices have been extended to the upside lately. For a nice entry it is better to wait for a consolidation. Click here to sign up for email alerts on when ARDS stock consolidates and has a Setup Rating of 8 or higher.
