A meta-analysis of the antiviral activity of the HBV-specific immunotherapeutic TG1050 confirms its value over a wide range of HBsAg levels in a persistent HBV pre-clinical model

Pre-clinical models mimicking persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) expression are seldom, do not capture all features of a human chronic infection and due to their complexity, are subject to variability. We report a meta-analysis of seven experiments performed with TG1050, an HBV-targeted immunotherapeutic,(1) in an HBV-persistent mouse model based on the transduction of mice by an adeno-associated virus coding for an infectious HBV genome (AAV-HBV). To mimic the clinical diversity seen in HBV chronically infected patients, AAV-HBV transduced mice displaying variable HBsAg levels were treated with TG1050. Overall mean percentages of responder mice, displaying decrease in important clinical parameters i.e. HBV-DNA (viremia) and HBsAg levels, were 52% and 51% in TG1050 treated mice, compared with 8% and 22%, respectively, in untreated mice. No significant impact of HBsAg level at baseline on response to TG1050 treatment was found. TG1050-treated mice displayed a significant shorter Time to Response (decline in viral parameters) with an Hazard Ratio (HR) of 8.3 for viremia and 2.6 for serum HBsAg. The mean predicted decrease for TG1050-treated mice was 0.5 log for viremia and 0.8 log for HBsAg, at the end of mice follow-up, compared to no decrease for viremia and 0.3 log HBsAg decrease for untreated mice. For mice receiving TG1050, a higher decline of circulating viremia and serum HBsAg level over time was detected by interaction term meta-analysis with a significant treatment effect (p = 0.002 and p<0.001 respectively). This meta-analysis confirms the therapeutic value of TG1050, capable of exerting potent antiviral effects in an HBV-persistent model mimicking clinical situations.