Atea Pharmaceuticals Presents New Data Showcasing Potential Best-in-Class Combination Profile of Bemnifosbuvir and Ruzasvir for Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus at EASL Congress 2024

Presentations to Include New Antiviral Efficacy Results, Including SVR12 Data, from Lead-In Cohort of Ongoing Phase 2 HCV Trial

Data Also Highlight the High Prevalence of Pre-Existing NS5A Resistance-Associated Substitutions (RAS) Detected in HCV-infected Patients

BOSTON, May 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Atea Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVIR) (“Atea”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of oral antiviral therapeutics for serious viral diseases, today announced the Company will present new efficacy results, including SVR12 data (primary endpoint), from the Phase 2 lead-in cohort evaluating the combination of bemnifosbuvir (an oral nucleotide NS5B polymerase inhibitor) and ruzasvir (an oral NS5A inhibitor) for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress 2024, taking place June 5-8, 2024 in Milan, Italy. Preclinical data further demonstrating bemnifosbuvir’s high barrier to resistance and pharmacokinetics and ruzasvir’s low risk of drug-drug interactions will also be presented.

“Despite current HCV treatments, progress toward eliminating the virus in the U.S. has slowed, and new chronic cases exceed cure rates. In the decade since the first direct acting antiviral treatments were introduced, both the virus and the patient population have changed significantly, including the emergence of resistant mutations,” said Jean-Pierre Sommadossi, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Atea Pharmaceuticals. “We need new HCV treatments that address the needs of today’s patients and feature a best-in-class treatment profile with high antiviral potency, short treatment duration, potential for low risk of drug-drug interactions and a high barrier to resistance. We look forward to sharing our data at EASL Congress 2024, which will reinforce the potential of this combination to treat HCV as it exists today.”

More than 2 million people in the U.S. are living with chronic HCV, and approximately 100,000 new chronic cases are diagnosed each year. HCV diagnoses continually outpace annual cure rates, as less than a third of those diagnosed with HCV receive timely treatment. As HCV persists, six main variants, or genotypes, have emerged. Genotype 1 is the most prevalent, while some variants, such as genotype 3, can be more difficult to treat due to mutations that enable the virus to develop resistance against existing HCV drugs.