As Vir enters the clinic, Scangos sees future of HBV in combos

Vir Biotechnology Inc. (San Francisco, Calif.) started a Phase I/II trial of HBV therapy VIR-2218, marking the biotech's first clinical program and a stepping stone towards CEO George Scangos' goal of HBV combinations.

VIR-2218 is an RNAi therapy that uses a stabilization platform from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY) designed to modify RNA to increase specificity and reduce off-target activity, Scangos told BioCentury. The Phase I/II trial is the technology's first use in humans; Scangos predicts data will read out in 3Q19. Vir partnered with Alnylam last year (see "Vir Unveils Series of Deals, Additional Funding")...