Phase 3 studies report functional cure in about 1 in 5 chronic hepatitis B patients treated with bepirovirsen

Thursday, May 28, 2026Science & ClimateWell-covered3 frames

Bepirovirsen is an experimental treatment for chronic hepatitis B that was evaluated in two phase 3 trials, B-Well 1 and B-Well 2.
Results from the two studies were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the EASL meeting in Barcelona.
Across the studies, about 1 in 5 patients treated with bepirovirsen achieved what researchers described as a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B.
In pooled trial data, the functional cure rate was reported as 19% overall and 26% among patients with lower viral activity or lower baseline surface-antigen levels.
The studies suggest some patients may be able to stop treatment and still keep the virus suppressed, offering a possible alternative to lifelong antiviral therapy.
Chronic hepatitis B can cause serious liver disease, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.
The drug did not produce a functional cure for most patients in the trials, leaving open how broadly it will change treatment if approved.
GSK has sought regulatory approval for bepirovirsen in the United States, Japan, China, and Europe.

How left and right are reading this

Both agree: A finite treatment producing a functional cure in a meaningful minority of chronic hepatitis B patients marks a real advance, especially if some can stop therapy and keep the virus suppressed, even though most patients did not reach that outcome.
They split on: Less a disagreement than a question of emphasis: a meaningful but limited gain because most patients were not cured, versus a credible path beyond lifelong antiviral therapy for the subset who may benefit.

Bepirovirsen is an experimental treatment for chronic hepatitis B that was evaluated in two phase 3 trials, B-Well 1 and B-Well 2.
Results from the two studies were published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the EASL meeting in Barcelona.
Across the studies, about 1 in 5 patients treated with bepirovirsen achieved what researchers described as a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B.
In pooled trial data, the functional cure rate was reported as 19% overall and 26% among patients with lower viral activity or lower baseline surface-antigen levels.
The studies suggest some patients may be able to stop treatment and still keep the virus suppressed, offering a possible alternative to lifelong antiviral therapy.
Chronic hepatitis B can cause serious liver disease, including cirrhosis, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.
The drug did not produce a functional cure for most patients in the trials, leaving open how broadly it will change treatment if approved.
GSK has sought regulatory approval for bepirovirsen in the United States, Japan, China, and Europe.