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news.Assembly Biosciences has received an investment from Gilead Sciences, comprising a $20.1m equity investment and $10m in accelerated funding, to propel the clinical development of new antiviral therapies targeting herpesviruses, hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis D virus (HDV).
The funding is said to propel the clinical development of new antiviral therapies. Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash.
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With this investment, Gilead’s equity ownership in Assembly Bio has increased to 29.9%.
These funds are expected to extend Assembly Bio’s cash runway to mid-2026 and will support the progression of its clinical pipeline, including the anticipated interim Phase Ib proof-of-concept data for ABI-5366 in the first half of the next year.
The collaboration agreement’s amendment includes adjustments to the option timepoints and payment structure for ABI-6250, a viral entry inhibitor for HDV treatment, to facilitate an accelerated and optimised development programme.
The $10m in accelerated option-related payments is intended to facilitate updated clinical strategies to expedite and optimise the programme’s development.
Since the collaboration’s initiation in October last year, Assembly Bio has launched trials for four small molecule antiviral candidates.
Assembly Bio CEO and president Jason Okazaki said: “Gilead’s further investment strengthens our balance sheet as we look ahead to multiple key clinical data readouts for our novel antiviral candidates in 2025.
“In addition, we expect our updated clinical plan for ABI-6250 to significantly reduce the development timeline for the compound. Together, the amendment and additional investment will help advance our programmes expeditiously and highlight the collective efforts of our organisations to change the treatment paradigm for people affected by serious viral diseases.”
ABI-6250, ABI-1179, ABI-5366, and ABI-4334 are investigational compounds and have not yet been approved for use anywhere in the world. Their safety and efficacy are still being assessed through ongoing clinical trials.
