Artiva to discontinue cell therapy after two patient deaths, cut workforce by 94%
Oct 27 (Reuters) -- Artiva Biotherapeutics Inc said on Tuesday it would halt the development of an experimental cell therapy for certain autoimmune conditions — its lead candidate — after two patient deaths, sending its shares slumping 32%. The company will slash its workforce by about 94% and evaluate strategic alternatives, it said.
Here are more details:
Artiva's therapy AlloNK was being tested as a potential treatment for autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis in a mid-stage trial. The company said one of the patients in the trial experienced a fatal neurological event following treatment. The investigator and an independent safety review assessed the event as likely related to complications caused by the chemotherapy drug fludarabine, the company said.
A second patient in the trial experienced sudden death about two months after initiating treatment, which an investigator assessed as unrelated to AlloNK, Artiva added.
"Two patient deaths plus fading durability quickly transformed what looked like a promising and differentiated path forward into one that carried too much risk and uncertainty," said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Josh Schimmer.
Schimmer said a path forward with AlloNK would have been a challenging one with an incredibly high cost of capital. As of September 30, Artiva had about $319.1 million in cash, cash equivalents and investments. As of December 31, 2025, the company had 104 full-time employees, according to its annual filing.
