Armata Pharmaceuticals shares rose Monday after the company said it took a major step toward the launch of a late-stage trial for its experimental superbug treatment, AP-SA02.
In morning trading, Armata shares were up 18% at $5.31.
The biotechnology company said it achieved key clinical, regulatory and manufacturing milestones supporting the planned launch of a Phase 3 trial of the treatment, and submitted its final testing plans to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The bacteriophage therapy targets so-called superbugs such as MRSA.
The company also said it completed four engineering runs of AP-SA02 at its Los Angeles facility. Production of clinical trial material will be the next manufacturing step ahead of the planned Phase 3 study.
Armata said it remains on track to begin the pivotal Phase 3 superiority study in the second half of 2026. The trial will evaluate AP-SA02 as an add-on treatment for severe Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, including MRSA, and is intended to support a future biologics license application.
Separately, the company said it recently received an additional $2.5 million in funding from the U.S. Defense Department, bringing total funding under the award to $28.7 million. The new funding will support preparations for the Phase 3 trial, while Armata said it is also pursuing additional financing sources to fund the study.
Chief Executive Deborah Birx said advancing AP-SA02 into Phase 3 remains the company's top priority.
Armata also promoted David House to chief financial officer from senior vice president of finance and principal financial officer.
Write to Anvee Bhutani at anvee.bhutani@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 20, 2026 11:04 ET (15:04 GMT)
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