Tarsus Pharmaceuticals (TARS) said Tuesday that it has dosed the first participant in its phase 2 study evaluating TP-05 oral therapy to potentially prevent Lyme disease by killing Lyme-infected ticks before disease transmission.

The trial will study the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TP-05 in about 700 healthy adults at risk for Lyme disease in the US, the company said.

Tarsus said it plans to complete enrollment during the tick season this year, with topline results expected in H1 of 2027.

The company said that its trial design was based on a phase 2a proof-of-concept "tick kill" study, in which a single dose of TP-05 demonstrated statistically significant tick mortality compared with placebo at day 1 and day 30.