Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ:ABUS) and Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SBPH) agreed to perform collaborative preclinical studies in chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV).
The accord involves the co-administration of Spring Bank’s SB 9200, an orally-available selective immune-modulator, and Arbutus Biopharma’s AB-423, a capsid assembly inhibitor.
SB 9200 and AB-423 are each investigational compounds currently under development by the respective companies for the treatment of chronic HBV.
“The preclinical study of the combination of SB 9200 and AB-423 is the first step in evaluating how a capsid assembly inhibitor can be combined with an oral immune-modulator in the treatment of chronic HBV and potentially lead to novel combination therapeutic strategies for patients with chronic HBV,” Dr. Nezam Afdhal, CMO of Spring Bank, said in a statement.
