Company: ABUS
Filing Date: 2025-05-14
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001447028-25-000099
Chunk: 68

Company: Arbutus Biopharma Corp
Filing Date: 2025-05-14
Form: 10-Q
Item: Part I, Item 2
Chunk 68
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 that is designed to reduce HBsAg and other HBV antigen expression in people with cHBV infection. Reducing HBsAg is widely believed to be a key prerequisite to enable a patient’s immune system to reawaken and respond against the virus.  

Imdusiran (AB-729) has the following advantages over other RNAi therapeutics in development for cHBV infection:

–Targeted to hepatocytes using our proprietary covalently conjugated GalNAc delivery technology which provides highly efficient liver-targeted uptake and enables subcutaneous dosing.

–Unique nucleotide sequence that is single trigger and targets all HBV transcripts including HBx from cccDNA and integrated DNA.

–Specific chemical modifications that reduce off-target effects while maintaining potency and providing durable liver exposure. 

–Delivered at a lower dose and less frequently.

–Immune activation properties with HBV-specific T-cell immune restoration and a decrease in exhausted T-cells in key responder patients.

–In combination with IFN and NA therapy, has provided the highest functional cure rates in cHBV patients to date with a 50% (3/6) functional cure rate in patients with HBsAg<1000 IU/mL at baseline.

–Achieved a 25% (2/8) functional cure rate in patients with HBsAg<1000 IU/mL at baseline in an IFN-free treatment regimen consisting of imdusiran, VTP-300, ongoing NA therapy and low dose nivolumab.

IM-PROVE I Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial evaluating imdusiran in combination with IFN

We have completed enrollment in IM-PROVE I, a randomized, open label, multicenter Phase 2a proof-of-concept clinical trial investigating the safety and antiviral activity of imdusiran in combination with a short course of IFN and ongoing NA therapy in 43 stably NA-suppressed, HBeAg negative, non-cirrhotic patients with cHBV infection. The primary objective of this trial was to initially lower HBsAg levels with imdusiran and then administer IFN as an immunomodulator to promote anti-HBV 

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immune reawakening. We believe that if we can lower HBsAg and promote immune reawakening, we may achieve sustained HBsAg loss and HBV DNA <LLOQ, potentially leading to a functional cure. After 24-weeks of dosing with imdusiran (