Novel immunotherapeutic shows promise against chronic hepatitis B

A novel immunotherapeutic in early development for chronic hepatitis B (CHB), TG1050, has been shown to reach the clinical goals that are considered to be the hallmarks of a cure for CHB, according to results revealed today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015.

The hallmarks of a CHB cure are:

• Elimination of HBsAg - the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus, and

• HBsAg seroconversion - which occurs when a specific antibody becomes detectable in the blood and the corresponding antigen becomes undetectable, in this case HBsAg

In the study, decrease of HBsAg and HBsAg seroconversion was achieved in 30% of TG1050-injected mice.

Earlier studies have proven that TG1050 is able to induce a robust, multi-specific and long-lasting immune response against the hepatitis B virus. These latest results, which show that TG1050 is able to decrease HBsAg and lead to anti-HBsAg seroconversion in HBV persistent mouse models, support the move to a first-in-man study and the start of clinical development.

Source: European Association for the Study of the Liver