Arbutus Biopharma’s AB-506 is a potent oral capsid inhibitor, preliminary results from testing in healthy testees, and two cohorts of chronic hepatitis B subjest, have shown, the company said Monday.
A detailed analysis of these Phase 1a/1b preliminary results will be submitted for presentation at a future scientific meeting later this year.
William H. Collier, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arbutus, stated, “Preliminary results from this first Phase 1a/1b clinical trial demonstrate that AB-506 is a potent oral capsid inhibitor. These results also support our confidence in its potential to contribute to the inhibition of HBV replication as part of a combination regimen.”
Dr. Gaston Picchio, Chief Development Officer of Arbutus Biopharma, said: “We believe this could represent the first case of an immune-mediated capsid inhibitor-induced ALT flare associated with significant and sustained reductions in both HBsAg and HBeAg.”
Dr. Picchio added: “To date, all capsid inhibitor studies done in healthy subjects have been limited to a maximum of 14 days of dosing. In the second half of 2019 we intend to initiate a healthy subjects study testing 28 days of dosing. An absence of flares in this study, if observed, should help us better understand the nature of the ALT flares observed in the CHB cohorts.”