Vir’s first shot at ‘day one solution’ for influenza A misses Phase II endpoints

Vir’s lead attempt at a variant-proof prophylactic mAb that could stop an influenza A pandemic in its tracks took a hit from the company’s Phase II data, which was also a key milestone for its partnership with GSK. 

Shares of Vir Biotechnology Inc. (NASDAQ:VIR) dropped 45% to $12.70 for a loss of $1.4 billion in market cap Thursday after the company announced its prophylactic mAb VIR-2482, developed to neutralize every major strain of influenza A since the 1918 pandemic, did not meet primary or secondary efficacy endpoints in the Phase II PENINSULA trial. The study enrolled 3,000 individuals who did not receive an influenza vaccine for the season. ...