Experimental hepatitis B treatment was a ‘functional cure’ for nearly 1 in 5

Andrew covers the biopharma industry, scientific research, and public health across the continent. You can reach Andrew confidentially on Signal at drewqjoseph.71.

An experimental medicine helped vanquish hepatitis B in clinical trials in nearly 1 in 5 people with chronic infections caused by the virus, far outperforming available treatment options in an illness that kills 1 million people every year. 

Some 250 million to 300 million people globally have chronic hepatitis B infections, which can cause serious issues including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Current treatments, known as nucleoside analogues, lead to so-called functional cures in only 1% to 3% of patients.

But in a pair of Phase 3 trials, GSK’s bepirovirsen, or “bepi,” helped 20% and 19% of patients achieve functional cures, with no patients on placebo reaching that point, according to data released Thursday.