Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals Inc (SBPH) An Ace Up Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD)’s Sleeve

How Much HBV Does A Woodchuck Chuck?

But what hard evidence do the companies have that a SB 9200 Viread sequential combination would work? First, they have woodchucks. Woodchucks can catch a very similar form of hepatitis to humans called, appropriately, the woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). It is almost identical to human hepatitis. The results on WHV-infected woodchucks were encouraging. All animals given SB 9200 responded to the drug at some level in a dose-dependent manner, and the addition of antiviral entecavir after SB 9200 increased potency. Lastly, no harmful side effects were observed. These results warranted a human-based clinical trial, giving rise to a Phase I trial.

In the Phase I trial on HCV patients, Spring Bank planned to show that interferon signaling was restored with SB 9200 as a monotherapy. Although not all patients responded, those that did showed activated interferon gene signaling as expected, with once again dose-dependent viral load reductions. While this doesn’t yet prove the efficacy of SB 9200, it is evidence of a unique mechanism of action that can act along with other antivirals. No adverse events were observed here either.

Phase II Trial And Some New Investors

After the results of Phase I, some more attention was given to Spring Bank. Most notable was of course Gilead, which saw the potential for complementarity post trial. Additionally, last month, a shot in the arm was given to Spring Bank in the form of a $15 million dollar investment in the company by a consortium of companies led by MPM Capital.

On top of that, on December 19^th, Arbutus BioPharma Corp (NASDAQ:ABUS), a smaller $150M company focused on HBV, also signed a partnership deal with Spring Bank also involving SB 9200. This will be in combination with its own experimental AB 423, which blocks capsid assembly, one of the essential steps in viral replication. AB 423 has a unique mechanism of action to HBV drugs on the market today, and though the collaboration is experimental, it does show that companies of all sizes from Big Pharma to trial stage are keeping an eye on Spring Bank’s pipeline. Meaning, if it works with one partner, these partnerships are likely to ramp up.

What should one expect from the Phase II trials which began six months ago? Different dosages of SB 9200 (25 – 200 mg) will be given to patients with HBV followed by Gilead’s Viread. As Viread’s efficacy is statistically well known, this Phase II study will aim to show if the levels of HBV decrease faster using combination therapy. Full results of the sequential study study are due by the end of 2017. The results of this study can very well change the face of Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:SBPH), as Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) may become interested in testing SB 9200 with its HCV drugs as well, which are its bread and butter.

Note: This article is written by David Rich and originally published at Market Exclusive.