Assembly Biosciences Foregoes Vebicorvir Registration Studies For Chronic Suppressive Therapy

Assembly Biosciences Inc (NASDAQ: ASMB) will not initiate Phase 3 studies of vebicorvir (VBR, or ABI-H0731) as a chronic suppressive therapy (CST), as the company wants to focus on hepatitis B therapies.
The CST study was supposed to be conducted with BeiGene Ltd (NASDAQ: BGNE), which licensed the rights to VBR in China.
The company will prioritize its portfolio of next-generation core inhibitors and combinations of VBR with complementary action mechanisms and plans to advance multiple research programs and new mechanisms to human trials.
By redirecting the resources previously reserved for the CST, the company sees the cash runway extended into 2023, compared to the second half of 2022, expected earlier.
Assembly Bio's HBV pipeline includes three clinical-stage core inhibitor candidates and multiple research and discovery programs.
Two clinical studies are underway, with one more study expected to begin during the first half of 2021.
In December, the company closed its microbiome program to prioritize resources and focus on advancing its core inhibitors for chronic HBV.
Assembly Bio reported disappointing results from a Phase 2 study evaluating vebicorvir in treating chronic hepatitis B virus infection patients.
The study failed to achieve meaningful, sustained virologic response rates as 39 of 41 patients relapsed.
Price Action: ASMB is up 1.6% at $5.62 in premarket trading on the last check Friday, while BGNE closed 1.5% lower at $329.7 on Thursday.