Bepirovirsen is an antisense oligonucleotide that produces sustainable clearance of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg). Bepirovirsen is designed to specifically recognize the RNA that HBV uses to replicate in infected liver cells and to make the viral antigens that facilitate the severity of the virus by helping to avoid being cleared by the immune system. In addition, bepirovirsen is able to stimulate immune responses through Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8), which may enable the immune system to achieve a long-lasting clearance of HBV from blood circulation.
Researchers conducted a phase B trial involving participants with chronic HBV infection or not receiving nucleoside or nucleoside analog therapy. Participants were randomly assigned to receive weekly injections of bepirovirsen at a dose of 300 mg for 24 weeks (group 1), 300 mg for 12 weeks then 150 mg for 12 weeks (group 2), 300 mg for 12 weeks then placebo for 12 weeks (group 3), or placebo for 12 weeks then bepirovirsen at a dose of 300 mg for 12 weeks (group 4). It was found that bepirovirsen at a dose of 300 mg for 24 weeks resulted in the most sustained HBsAg and HBV DNA loss in participants with chronic HBV infection.
Bepirovirsen has shown many positive results in the treatment of hepatitis B. Although, many of the participants who were injected with bepirovirsen experienced pyrexia, fatigue, and increased alanine aminotransferase levels. Even though some of these are common reactions that may occur when injected with treatments, I believe that more trials should be done to prove the efficacy and safety of bepirovirsen. It is also important to remember that hepatitis B is a chronic medical condition like diabetes and high blood pressure that can be successfully managed if you take care of your health and liver.
Nice, so I learned that antisense Oligonucleotides (ASOs) are small sized single stranded nucleic acids that bind to a target RNA sequence in cells in order to silence a gene of interest. From what I read, what makes ASOs unique is that they are able to target particular nuclear and cytoplasmic RNAs.
ReplyDelete