Atea Starts First-in-Human Trial for Potential First-in-Class Hepatitis E Drug
AVIR sits 71% above its 52-week low of $2.78.
Summary
Atea has dosed the first healthy volunteers in a Phase 1 trial of AT-587, an oral antiviral for hepatitis E virus (HEV) — a disease with no approved therapies and an estimated 20 million acute infections annually. The study will assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in single and multiple ascending doses, with data expected to guide further development. Preclinical results presented at EASL 2026 showed AT-587 is 30- to 150-fold more potent in vitro than off-label options sofosbuvir and ribavirin, and retained activity against resistant strains. This expands Atea's viral hepatitis pipeline beyond its lead HCV program, which recently completed Phase 3 enrollment. With a $379M market cap and cash runway through 2027, positive Phase 1 data could position AT-587 as a first-in-class therapy for immunocompromised patients at risk of chronic HEV.
At the time of this announcement, AVIR was trading at $4.75 on NASDAQ in the Life Sciences sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $379.3M. The 52-week trading range was $2.78 to $6.45. This news item was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10. Source: GlobeNewswire.