New drug achieves functional cure in 20 percent of chronic hepatitis B patients

A new drug produced a functional cure in 20 percent of patients with chronic hepatitis B, a virus that previously had no cure and is the leading cause of liver cancer worldwide. The study included 1,838 patients across 29 countries in Asia, Europe, and North and South America.

Participants received weekly injections of bepirovirsen, which blocks virus replication and allows the immune system to clear infected cells.

Study results Researchers reported that the virus remained undetectable in 20 percent of treated patients 48 weeks after the final dose. None of the patients who received placebo reached the same endpoint. Patients with cirrhosis, HIV, or very high viral loads were excluded from the trial. The drug was developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals and GlaxoSmithKline.

Background on hepatitis B More than 296 million people live with hepatitis B globally. The virus spreads through contact with infected blood or body fluids, including during childbirth, sexual contact, and needle sharing. About 95 percent of infected adults clear the virus naturally within six months.

When the immune system fails to clear it, the infection becomes chronic and can lead to liver scarring, failure, or cancer. Current treatments require lifelong antiviral and immune-boosting drugs that suppress but do not eliminate the virus. In 2023, U.S. health authorities recorded 17,650 new chronic cases and 1,769 related deaths.

>"The results are remarkable," said study Dr. Anna S. Lok, assistant dean for clinical research at the University of Michigan Medical School.