While 296 million people worldwide live with chronic hepatitis B, current treatment approaches achieve functional cure in fewer than 10 percent of patients within five years—highlighting a substantial gap in therapeutic efficacy. This disparity underscores the urgent need for innovative treatment strategies.
A phase 3 trial of bepirovirsen, recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine, offers potential relief from this clinical challenge. The antisense oligonucleotide therapy targets viral RNA through a mechanism distinct from conventional antivirals, potentially enabling higher rates of sustained HBsAg loss—a hallmark of functional cure.
The trial’s focus on HBsAg loss and undetectable HBV DNA levels represents a meaningful shift toward WHO-defined functional cure outcomes. These results suggest bepirovirsen could significantly improve treatment success rates for the millions of patients who currently have limited options for achieving sustained viral control and potential cure.
Read the full article on GMJ Newsroom.
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