Business
Aligos Therapeutics Begins Dosing with Antisense Oligonucleotide Drug Candidate, ALG-020572, in Healthy Volunteers in a Phase 1 Proof-of-Concept Study
Aligos now evaluating three of its four chronic hepatitis B (CHB) portfolio drug candidates in clinical trials SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 11, 2021
About this update from Aligos Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Aligos now evaluating three of its four chronic hepatitis B (CHB) portfolio drug candidates in clinical trials\nSOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 11, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapeutics to address unmet medical needs in viral and liver diseases, today announced that the company has started dosing in the first cohort of healthy volunteers in Study ALG-020572-401 (NCT05001022). The trial is evaluating ALG-020572, a proprietary antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapeutic candidate that is designed to reduce circulating HBsAg (Hepatitis B surface antigen) levels. “This is the second drug candidate we have advanced to clinical development that targets HBsAg reductions in chronic hepatitis B patients,” said Lawrence Blatt, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aligos. “The mechanism of our ASO molecule is specifically designed to selectively seek out and destroy viral messenger RNA and utilizes third generation XNA chemistry devised to improve the pharmacological characteristics of the molecule. We are hopeful these enhanced properties will augment the candidate’s antiviral activity in the clinic.” Professor Ed Gane, MB ChB, Principal Investigator for the ALG-020572-401 study, added, “I believe that reducing HBsAg levels is an essential step in achieving functional cure. Other ASOs have demonstrated substantial HBsAg reductions in the clinic. Given that ALG-020572 appears to have more potent antiviral activity and enhanced hepatocyte targeting via GalNAc than other ASOs, a combination regimen containing ALG-020572 may have the potential to achieve higher rates of functional cure.” Study ALG-020572-401 is a two-part umbrella protocol. In Part 1, it will evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics (PK) of single subcutaneous (SC) doses of ALG-020572 in healthy volunteers. In Part 2, it will evaluate the safety, PK, and antiviral activity of multiple SC doses given over 28 days in multiple chronic hepatitis B (CHB) subpopulations. Aligos’s ASO program represents one of several in the company’s CHB portfolio that target different clinically validated mechanisms of action in the hepatitis B virus life cycle. The portfolio also includes S-antigen Transport-inhibiting Oligonucleotide Polymer (STOPSTM) mo...