Vir Biotechnology, Inc. (VIR) saw its stock soar 11.11% in pre-market trading on Monday, following the announcement of positive Phase 2 results for its combination therapy targeting chronic hepatitis delta (CHD). The biotechnology company's shares are climbing on the back of promising data from its SOLSTICE trial, which evaluated the combination of tobevibart and elebsiran.
According to results presented at The Liver Meeting® of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 66% of participants receiving a monthly dose of the combination achieved undetectable hepatitis delta virus (HDV) RNA at Week 48. The treatment was well-tolerated, with no grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events reported, and no patients discontinuing treatment due to side effects.
Investors appear optimistic about Vir Biotechnology's future prospects, as the company has already initiated the ECLIPSE registrational program for the combination therapy. The treatment has received Breakthrough Therapy and Fast Track designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as Priority Medicines and orphan drug designations from the European Medicines Agency. These regulatory acknowledgments underscore the potential significance of this therapy in addressing an unmet medical need and may contribute to an accelerated path to market if further studies continue to show positive results. With topline data from the ECLIPSE program expected in the first quarter of 2027, Vir Biotechnology seems well-positioned to capitalize on this promising treatment for CHD, a severe form of viral hepatitis with limited treatment options.