The global burden of chronic hepatitis B remains substantial, with approximately 296 million people living with chronic HBV infection worldwide. Despite available treatment options, functional cure rates remain disappointingly low, with less than 10 percent of patients achieving this outcome after five years on conventional therapies. Current standard-of-care approaches excel at viral suppression but rarely result in hepatitis B surface antigen loss.
A newly published phase 3 trial of bepirovirsen, an antisense oligonucleotide therapy, offers renewed hope for improving these outcomes. Unlike traditional nucleoside analogues that suppress viral replication, bepirovirsen targets hepatitis B virus RNA through a novel mechanism designed to reduce HBsAg production. The trial’s focus on sustained HBsAg loss and undetectable HBV DNA levels demonstrates a meaningful shift toward addressing the functional cure goal that has remained elusive for decades.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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