VBI Vaccines and Brii Biosciences Initiate Phase 1b/2a Study of BRII-179 (VBI-2601) in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Infection
Business Wire
November 14, 2019
8:00 AM EST
– Novel recombinant, protein-based immuno-therapeutic for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
– Two-part, dose-escalation study expected to enroll up to 65 patients
– Initial data expected in H2 2020
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & BEIJING & DURHAM, N.C. — VBI Vaccines (NASDAQ: VBIV) (“VBI”), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation infectious disease and immuno-oncology vaccines, and Brii Biosciences (“Brii Bio”), a clinical-stage company committed to serving patients’ needs and improving public health in China and around the world, today announced the first patient dosed in a Phase 1b/2a proof-of-concept study of BRII-179 (VBI-2601), a novel recombinant, protein-based immuno-therapeutic candidate in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
“Chronic HBV has long been considered one of the most challenging viral infections to treat, due to its complex life cycle once it takes hold in the liver,” said Jeff Baxter, President and CEO of VBI. “There is growing consensus in the scientific community that a functional cure for HBV is possible and that it will require restoration of HBV immunity to ensure the body’s own ability to control the viral infection. We believe BRII-179 (VBI-2601) has the potential to be a critical and differentiated component of a functional cure for HBV.”
“Alleviating the disease burden of HBV through a functional cure would be transformational for individuals and societies around the world,” said Zhi Hong, Ph.D., co-founder, and CEO of Brii Bio. “We, together with our colleagues at VBI, are pleased to announce the start of this clinical study of BRII-179 (VBI-2601) as we work hard to address this unmet need, and we look forward to sharing the initial human proof-of-concept results from this study in the second half of 2020.”
BRII-179 (VBI-2601) is uniquely formulated to target both B-cell and T-cell immunity through multiple mechanisms of action, including neutralizing the circulating hepatitis B virus, blocking hepatitis B infection of hepatocytes mediated through Pre-S1, and enabling immune-mediated clearance of HBV-infected hepatocytes. Where many investigational agents work inside the infected liver cells downstream of transcription, BRII-179 (VBI-2601) is designed to impact the key extracellular steps in the HBV lifecycle in order to restore immunologic control over the infection.
The Phase 1b/2a clinical study of BRII-179 (VBI-2601) is a randomized, controlled study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and antiviral activity of BRII-179 (VBI-2601) in patients with chronic HBV infection. The study is designed as a two-part dose-escalation study assessing different dose levels of BRII-179 (VBI-2601), and is expected to enroll up to 65 patients.
Initial human proof-of-concept data from the Phase 1b/2a clinical study are expected in the second half of 2020.
The study is sponsored by Brii Bio and will be conducted at multiple study sites in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, and China. 作者: StephenW 时间: 2019-11-16 18:17