Benzinga | Jul 6, 2021 10:19AM EDT

Arbutus Biopharma, Vaccitech Team Up To Develop Combo Treatment For Hepatitis B

* Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ:ABUS) and Vaccitech plc (NASDAQ:VACC) have collaborated to evaluate combination treatment for chronic hepatitis B virus who are already receiving standard-of-care nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NrtI) therapy.

* The Phase 2a trial will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, immunogenicity, and antiviral activity of Arbutus's AB-729, followed by Vaccitech's VTP-300, in NrtI-suppressed subjects.

* The trial will start in the second half of 2021 and will be managed by Arbutus, subject to oversight by a joint development committee comprised of Arbutus and Vaccitech.

* The parties retain full rights to their respective product candidates and split all costs associated with the clinical trial.

* Under the agreement, the parties intend to undertake a larger Phase 2b clinical trial depending on the initial Phase 2a clinical trial results.

* AB-729 is an RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic targeted to hepatocytes.

* VTP-300 utilizes Vaccitech's ChAdOx1-HBV/MVA-HBV prime-boost combination to elicit an immune response against HBV.

* Price Action: ABUS shares are down 1.86% at $2.89, while VACC shares are up 1.34% at $15.15 on the last check Tuesday.