Bulevirtide is in clinical development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis Delta virus infection in adult patients with compensated liver disease. Hepatitis D is a viral infection of the liver that is dependent on the patient already being infected with hepatitis B virus. The co-infection is thought to be more severe and cause more damage to the liver than hepatitis B alone. Currently there are limited treatment options for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis D virus infection.
Bulevirtide is a synthetic protein that is designed to specifically to bind to and block, a receptor present on liver cells. This receptor is essential to hepatitis B and D viruses entering and infecting the liver cells. By blocking the entry of hepatitis D virus, bulevirtide limits the virus ability to spread and replicate, reducing the symptoms of infection. If licensed, bulevirtide will become the first-in-class potent entry inhibitor offering a new therapeutic option for patients suffering from chronic hepatitis delta virus infection for whom limited therapeutic regimens are available.
Drugs
November 2019
Cabotegravir and rilpivirine tablets are in development as an oral lead-in therapy for a period of approximately one month as a short-term oral bridging treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 (HIV-1) patients that are considered eligible for the long-acting injectable cabotegravir and rilpivirine therapy. HIV is a type of viral infection caused by a type of virus referred to as a retrovirus. HIV-1 is the most common and highly communicable type of HIV. HIV is a lifelong, chronic disease that nowadays can be managed with antiretroviral therapies (ARTs). Since HIV virus can quickly adapt and become resistant, a combination of ART drugs is normally used. Usually patients take between one and 4 or 6 tablets a day. Failing to do so will result in a weakened immune system and increased vulnerability to infections.