Powering the Immune System to Transform Lives
Our Therapeutic Focus Areas
Chronic Hepatitis Delta
Chronic hepatitis delta is considered the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis, and on average, people living with the disease will progress to cirrhosis and liver failure within five years1. There is a high unmet medical need for effective treatments, as there are no approved therapies in the U.S., and options are limited globally.
Vir Biotechnology is developing a chronic suppressive therapy to help address this significant treatment gap. Tobevibart in combination with elebsiran offers the potential to eliminate the virus by tackling the viral lifecycle through multiple mechanisms. Tobevibart is an investigational neutralizing monoclonal antibody that has been engineered for immune engagement. Elebsiran is an investigational small interfering RNA (siRNA) that is designed to enable targeted delivery to the liver and to reduce hepatitis B surface antigen, a protein which is required for the hepatitis delta virus life cycle.
Our ongoing Phase 3 ECLIPSE registrational program is evaluating tobevibart in combination with elebsiran in people living with chronic hepatitis delta. The investigational combination has been recognized by global regulatory agencies for its potential to address the critical deficiency of therapies in chronic hepatitis delta. It has received Breakthrough Therapy designation and Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in addition to Priority Medicines (PRIME) designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and orphan drug designation from the European Commission (EC).
1 CDC https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hdv/hdvfaq.htm
Oncology
One in five people worldwide develop cancer during their lifetime.1 Although medicine has made tremendous strides in cancer prevention and treatment, cancer still remains the second-leading cause of death globally and is the leading or second-leading cause of premature death (before age 70 years) in 112 countries.2 As the burden of cancer continues to grow, so does the need for new therapeutic options for patients.
Over the past 30 years, our understanding of cancer has increased dramatically. Today, we know many of the key drivers of this disease, down to the genetic and molecular levels.3
HER2, EGFR and PSMA, are three examples of molecules well-known to play a key role in cancer. These molecules are over-expressed in a variety of solid tumors, such as breast cancer, colorectal cancer and prostate cancer, making them attractive targets for cancer therapy. Current cancer therapies targeting these molecules have shown promise, but there remains a high need for more efficacious and better-tolerated treatments options.
We are advancing three investigational assets that leverage the PRO-XTEN™ masking technology with T-cell engagers targeting HER2, EGFR or PSMA. The PRO-XTEN™ masking technology is designed to keep the T-cell engagers inactive until they reach the tumor microenvironment, where tumor-specific proteases can cleave off the mask and activate the T-cell engager leading to killing of cancer cells. By driving the activity exclusively to the tumor microenvironment, we aim to limit the toxicity of these agents and potentially increase their efficacy and tolerability.
Vir Biotechnology has exclusive rights to the PRO-XTEN™ masking platform for oncology and infectious disease. PRO-XTEN™ is a trademark of Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Sanofi company.
1 International Agency for Research on Cancer, WHO - Cancer Topics – IARC (who.int), accessed August 2024
2 American Cancer Society – Global Cancer Facts, 5th Edition - Global Cancer Facts & Figures-5th Edition
3 Understanding Cancer - NIH Curriculum Supplement Series - NCBI Bookshelf
HIV
More than 40 years since the start of the epidemic, HIV remains one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. It is estimated that close to 40 million people worldwide are living with HIV, including 1.4 million children.1 In 2023 alone, 1.3 million people worldwide were estimated to have acquired HIV.1
At Vir Biotechnology, we seek to address this elusive virus through the pursuit of an HIV cure, with support from the Gates Foundation.
Our approach is to utilize broadly neutralizing antibodies that have been modified with our Fc technology to enhance the immune system’s T-cell response to the virus. Broadly neutralizing antibodies are known to recognize and prevent a range of variants of HIV from infecting cells, which given the variety of HIV strains worldwide and the virus’ history of generating viral resistance, we believe will be key to finally achieving a much-awaited cure.