ARO-HBV is being developed to be a potentially curative therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis B infection. ARO-HBV silences all HBV gene products and intervenes upstream of the reverse transcription process where current standard-of-care nucleotide and nucleoside analogues act. The company believes this will allow the body’s natural immune defenses to clear the virus and lead to a functional cure.
Disease
Chronic hepatitis B infection is the most common serious liver infection. Current drugs suppress viral replication but rarely lead to a cure and therefore must be taken indefinitely. Developing curative therapy is a priority.
There are 16 million people with chronic hepatitis B in the U.S. and Western Europe and 400 million people worldwide. In the immune tolerant phase of chronic infection, which can last for many years, the infected person typically produces very high levels of viral DNA and viral antigens. However, the infection is not cytotoxic and the carrier may have no symptoms of illness. Over time, the ongoing production of viral antigens causes inflammation and necrosis, leading to cirrhosis and liver cancer (HCC). Hepatitis B is responsible for 80% of primary liver cancers.
The current standard of care for treatment of chronic HBV infection is a daily oral dose of nucleotide/nucleoside analogs (NUCs) or a regimen of interferon injections for approximately one year. NUCs are generally well tolerated, but patients may need lifetime treatment because viral replication often rebounds upon cessation of treatment. Interferon therapeutics can result in a functional cure in around 10% of some patient types, but treatment is often associated with significant side effects, including severe flu-like symptoms, bone marrow suppression, and autoimmune disorders.作者: 齐欢畅2 时间: 2017-3-19 21:09