GlaxoSmithKline’s investigational drug bepirovirsen has demonstrated encouraging results in phase 2 clinical trials, achieving what researchers term a functional cure in 18% of chronic hepatitis B patients. The treatment, which employs an antisense oligonucleotide mechanism to target viral RNA, substantially outperforms current standard therapies that achieve functional cure rates of approximately 1% annually.
Functional cure is defined as sustained suppression of hepatitis B surface antigen for at least 24 weeks following treatment completion, according to CDC criteria. This represents a significant advancement, as current nucleoside analogue therapies typically suppress but do not eliminate the virus from patients’ systems.
With phase 3 trials anticipated within the next 12 months, researchers anticipate this breakthrough therapy could eventually benefit millions of the estimated 296 million individuals living with chronic hepatitis B worldwide.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
Was this article helpful?
