Arbutus Biopharma, Vaccitech Team Up To Develop Combo Treatment For Hepatitis B

  • Arbutus Biopharma Corporation ABUS and Vaccitech plc VACC have collaborated to evaluate combination treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus who are already receiving standard-of-care nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NrtI) therapy.
  • The Phase 2a trial will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and antiviral activity of Arbutus's AB-729, followed by Vaccitech's VTP-300, in NrtI-suppressed subjects.
  • The trial will start in the second half of 2021 and will be managed by Arbutus, subject to oversight by a joint development committee comprised of Arbutus and Vaccitech. 
  • The parties retain full rights to their respective product candidates and split all costs associated with the clinical trial. 
  • Under the agreement, the parties intend to undertake a larger Phase 2b clinical trial depending on the initial Phase 2a clinical trial results.
  • AB-729 is an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic targeted to hepatocytes.
  • VTP-300 utilizes Vaccitech's ChAdOx1-HBV/MVA-HBV prime-boost combination to elicit an immune response against HBV. 
  • Price Action: ABUS shares are down 1.86% at $2.89, while VACC shares are up 1.34% at $15.15 on the last check Tuesday.
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