Sustained efficacy and seroconversion with the Toll-like receptor 7 agonist GS-9620 in the Woodchuck model of chronic hepatitis B.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

New therapies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) are urgently needed since current treatments rarely lead to cure. We evaluated whether the oral small molecule toll-like receptor (TLR7) agonist GS-9620 could induce durable antiviral efficacy in woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV), a hepadnavirus closely related to human hepatitis B virus (HBV).

Methods

After evaluating the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and tolerability of oral GS-9620 in uninfected woodchucks, adult woodchucks chronically infected with WHV (n = 7 per group) were dosed with GS-9620 or placebo for 4 or 8 weeks with different treatment schedules.

Results

GS-9620 treatment induced rapid, marked and sustained reduction in serum viral DNA (mean maximal 6.2l

SUBMITTER: Menne S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4439359 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature