Traws Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: TRAW) announced plans to advance clinical candidates for treating hantavirus infections, responding to recent cruise ship fatalities and illnesses caused by the virus.

The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said it will use existing small molecule antiviral drug assets to develop treatments for hantavirus, a rodent-borne virus with a 30-50% fatality rate in humans. The company currently develops antivirals against negative-strand RNA viruses including influenza, H5N1 bird flu and SARS-CoV-2.

"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," said C. David Pauza, the company's chief scientific officer. The drug candidates have been tested for inhibition of negative-strand virus replication and may be used individually or in combination.

No approved treatments currently exist for hantaan pulmonary disease. Robert R. Redfield, Traws' chief medical officer and former CDC director, said the ongoing outbreak and frequent resurgence of these viruses in multiple regions encourages an emergency program to develop treatments and enable stockpiling for outbreaks and national security concerns.

The company cited a Wall Street Journal report about a 33-day Atlantic cruise that became a "hantavirus nightmare" as context for the urgency of developing treatments.

Traws Pharma develops oral small molecule antiviral agents including tivoxavir marboxil for influenza prevention and ratutrelvir for COVID-19 treatment. The company's drug development focuses on targeting viral proteins that do not exist in humans, which the company says generally results in high specificity and safety.