Bepirovirsen shows promise in achieving functional cure for hepatitis B

Clinical trials for a new drug, bepirovirsen (bepi), have shown significant results in treating chronic hepatitis B. Developed by GSK and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, the drug helped approximately 20% of patients achieve what researchers call a ‘functional cure.’

In two international trials involving 1,838 patients, participants received weekly injections of bepirovirsen or a placebo alongside standard treatment for six months. Following this period, eligible patients stopped all medication. About one-fifth of the bepirovirsen group maintained undetectable virus levels for six months after treatment cessation, whereas no patients in the placebo group achieved similar results.

A ‘functional cure’ indicates that while the virus is not entirely eradicated from the body, it is controlled at levels low enough for the immune system to suppress it without continuous medication. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a scientific conference in Barcelona, Spain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently reviewing the drug under an expedited process, with evaluations also underway in Japan, China, and Europe.