The global burden of chronic hepatitis B remains staggering: approximately 296 million people worldwide are living with the infection, yet current treatments achieve functional cure in fewer than 10 percent of patients after five years. This significant treatment gap underscores the urgent need for novel therapeutic approaches.
New phase 3 trial results for bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide therapy, offer a promising solution to this unmet medical need. Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the trial evaluated the therapy’s efficacy in achieving sustained hepatitis B surface antigen loss and undetectable HBV DNA levels—endpoints aligned with WHO definitions of functional cure. By targeting viral RNA through a novel mechanism distinct from conventional viral suppression therapies, bepirovirsen represents a significant advancement in the pursuit of functional cure for millions of patients worldwide.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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