NEWTOWN, Pa., May 8, 2026, 13:12 (ET)
Traws Pharma Inc. on Friday announced plans to push ahead with possible clinical candidates targeting hantavirus infections, shifting the antiviral developer’s focus after a lethal outbreak on a cruise ship. The company hasn’t disclosed a frontrunner. Chief Scientific Officer C. David Pauza said Traws “plans to rapidly advance clinical candidates.” Chief Medical Officer Robert R. Redfield described the move as an emergency push for “life-saving treatments.” GlobeNewswire
Timing is key here. The World Health Organization on Thursday confirmed eight cases tied to the MV Hondius cluster—five of those were hantavirus, and three people have died. The agency noted the Andes virus can pass between people, but only in rare cases involving close, extended contact. Still, public-health risk remains low, the WHO said.
Traws shares jumped 21.8% to $2.07, after peaking at $2.55 earlier in the session. That puts the company’s market cap around $18.3 million.
Traws, headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, says it’s a clinical-stage biopharma tackling respiratory viral illnesses. The company’s pipeline includes oral antivirals: ratutrelvir, aimed at COVID-19 and long COVID, and tivoxavir marboxil, targeting both seasonal flu and H5N1 bird flu.
People typically catch hantavirus by coming into contact with urine, droppings, or saliva from infected rodents. The World Health Organization notes that hantavirus infections can be deadly—fatality rates in the Americas can reach 50%. There’s no targeted treatment or vaccine; care focuses on supportive measures, frequently requiring intensive care, the agency said.
The virus hasn’t left the market’s radar, thanks to the cruise incident. On Friday, Reuters said the ship lingered off Cape Verde for four days, during which specialist teams evacuated three people. The vessel is now heading to Tenerife, carrying roughly 150 passengers and crew; they’re all set to disembark under medical watch.
Bigger names call the shots in oral antivirals. Pfizer’s Paxlovid holds FDA approval for high-risk adults dealing with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Roche and Shionogi’s Xofluza, meanwhile, is cleared in the U.S. for both flu treatment and post-exposure prevention. Traws? Still in the hunt—working to translate its antiviral library into a hantavirus program, but has no approved product on the market.
Capital remains a central concern. Back in April, Traws secured roughly $10 million right away via a private investment in public equity (PIPE) and lined up as much as $50 million more if certain warrant milestones are hit. Chief Executive Iain Dukes said the funding “positions us to advance our influenza program” and move into a U.K. human challenge trial, essentially a controlled infection study. GlobeNewswire
The risk stands out. Friday’s news wasn’t about human efficacy—Traws still needs to choose its hantavirus contender, demonstrate it works, then get the green light from regulators. The tivoxavir program remains frozen under a U.S. clinical hold after toxicology concerns, as the company disclosed in April.
Severe cases of the disease can escalate rapidly. According to ECDC, people in the cruise cluster showed fever, respiratory troubles, and gastrointestinal issues; a number of cases advanced swiftly to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress, and shock. The agency also noted that while Andes virus has documented human-to-human spread, such transmission remains rare.
Traws faces a clear hurdle next: it needs to deliver a specific drug program, a regulatory plan, and supporting data. Right now, shares are moving mostly on the back of disease urgency, not concrete evidence from a hantavirus product.
