Can the Combination of Inarigivir from Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals and Vemlidy from Gilead Sciences Succeed in Treating Chronic Hepatitis B Viral Infection

Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Gilead Sciences and HBV

If Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals’ (SBPH) product inarigivir in combination with Gilead Sciences’ (GILD) Vemlidy® could validate the current encouraging results of the ongoing trials on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, then the small underestimated firm would hand the giant biotech firm a valuable gift that could increase its sales revenues of its liver disease franchise.   

The NEWS

Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals announced encouraging results from its product inarigivir when combined with Gilead Sciences’ product Vemlidy® (tenofovir alafenamide 25mg) for the treatment of chronic HBV infection. 

In the Phase 2 trial 30 patients with the HBV infection received low-dose inarigivir 50mg plus Vemlidy® for 12 weeks and 12 patients with the HBV infection received Vemlidy® alone for 12 weeks.   

Inarigivir plus Vemlidy® Results

  • Interim top-line results from the first cohort indicate that, at week 12, 7 out of 30 patients on the small dose inarigivir 50mg plus Vemlidy® arm were hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) responders. They met the primary efficacy study endpoint; the required amount of reduction in HBsAg from baseline.
  • With the inarigivir 50mg monotherapy alone: only 1 of 14 patients was a HBsAg responder at week 12. 
  • With Vemlidy® alone: Only 3 of the 12 patients were HBsAg responders.
  • The combination of inarigivir and Vemlidy®was generally safe and well-tolerated. No serious side events were observed over the 12-week treatment period, and the side effects attributed to the treatment were mild to moderate.    

Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals

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