Traws Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRAW) ("Traws Pharma", "Traws" or "the Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to target critical threats to human health from respiratory viral diseases, today announced plans to advance potential clinical candidates for the treatment of hantavirus infections.

Traws Pharma is responding to the threat of Hantavirus, a rodent-borne negative-strand RNA virus that typically results in a 30-50% fatality rate when transmitted to humans and which has been implicated as the cause of several cruise ship fatalities and serious illnesses in recent days1.

The Company is already developing small molecule antiviral drugs against negative-strand RNA family viruses including influenza, the deadly H5N1 bird flu, SARS-CoV-2 and others. Viruses in this group face unique obstacles for replicating their genome and expressing viral gene proteins. Evolved solutions to these problems create unique targets for the development of small molecule antiviral drugs. Because the viral target proteins and their mechanisms of action do not exist in humans, the corresponding antiviral drugs generally have high specificity and safety.

"Using our large collection of clinical and non-clinical antiviral drug assets, Traws plans to rapidly advance clinical candidates for the treatment and prevention of Hantavirus disease. These drug candidates have already been tested for inhibition of negative-strand virus replication and may be used alone or in combination to achieve the necessary potency," commented C. David Pauza, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Traws Pharma. "Traws intends to move rapidly, using its established network of drug development and virus testing assets, to identify the optimal candidates for Hantaan virus treatment and, additionally, to access proprietary chemical libraries for homing in on best potential treatments," continued Dr. Pauza.

There are no approved treatments for Hantaan pulmonary disease. "The ongoing outbreak, along with frequent resurgence of these viruses in the Southwest United States, South America, Asia and other regions, encourages an emergency program to develop life-saving treatments for this extremely dangerous disease and to enable stockpiling for emergent outbreaks and National Security concerns," commented Robert R. Redfield, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Traws Pharma and former Director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.