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.