WARMINSTER, PA — Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (Nasdaq: ABUS) recently presented compelling data on its investigational hepatitis B therapies, imdusiran and AB-101, at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress 2025. The findings, highlighted across five posters, underscored significant advancements in achieving functional cures for chronic hepatitis B (cHBV) patients and the promising safety profile of Arbutus’ emerging treatment options.
Key data from a late-breaker poster detailed results from the Phase 2a IM-PROVE II trial, evaluating imdusiran in combination with other therapies. Notably, 15.3% of patients in Group C, treated with imdusiran, VTP-300, and low-dose nivolumab, achieved a functional cure defined by loss of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and seroconversion. Among patients with baseline HBsAg levels below 1000 IU/mL in this group, the cure rate increased to 25%. Treatments were well tolerated across cohorts, with no serious adverse events or immune-related adverse effects reported.
“Lowering HBsAg with imdusiran before introducing therapies to stimulate immune reawakening proved beneficial,” said Dr. Grace Lai-Hung Wong, Professor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. “The addition of low-dose nivolumab enhanced functional cure rates while maintaining a very favorable safety profile.”
Arbutus also presented data on AB-101, its oral PD-L1 inhibitor, from a Phase 1a/1b clinical trial. Early findings demonstrated that AB-101 was well tolerated, with high receptor occupancy and no evidence of liver dysfunction in cHBV patients after 28 days of daily dosing. This supports AB-101’s potential as part of combination regimens to address unmet needs in hepatitis B treatment.
The company continues to advance its clinical programs, with eight patients achieving functional cures across multiple trials. Arbutus’ work in RNAi therapeutics and PD-L1 inhibition highlights its commitment to developing innovative and effective solutions for chronic hepatitis B.
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