Arbutus Biopharm Stock Price, News & Analysis

Arbutus Biopharma (Nasdaq: ABUS) announced the acceptance of five abstracts for presentation at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress 2025 in Amsterdam. The presentations, scheduled for May 7-10, 2025, include significant findings on two key drug candidates:

Imdusiran: The IM-PROVE I study showed that HBsAg levels at baseline and NA discontinuation were key factors for functional cure in chronic hepatitis B patients. Subjects achieving functional cure demonstrated rapid HBV RNA decline during imdusiran treatment, with transient elevations during interferon treatment leading to further HBsAg decline.

AB-101: This oral PD-L1 inhibitor showed promising results in early trials, demonstrating safety and tolerability in both single and multiple doses. The drug exhibited dose-responsive increases in PD-L1 receptor occupancy and high liver biodistribution, with preliminary data showing receptor occupancy at doses ≥10 mg.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ: ABUS) reported its Q4 and full-year 2024 results, announcing significant organizational changes and updates on its hepatitis B virus (HBV) programs. The company implemented a 57% workforce reduction in Q1 2025, retaining 19 employees, and appointed Tuan Nguyen as CFO.

Key financial metrics include cash and investments of $122.6 million as of December 31, 2024, compared to $132.3 million in 2023. Revenue decreased to $6.2 million in 2024 from $18.1 million in 2023. Net loss was $69.9 million ($0.38 per share) compared to $72.8 million ($0.44 per share) in 2023.

Clinical highlights include promising results from the IM-PROVE I trial, where imdusiran combination therapy achieved a 50% functional cure rate in specific HBeAg-negative patients. The company is currently reviewing development plans for imdusiran's Phase 2b trial. Additionally, patent litigation continues with Moderna (trial scheduled for September 2025) and Pfizer/BioNTech regarding LNP technology.

Genevant Sciences and Arbutus Biopharma (ABUS) have initiated five international patent infringement lawsuits against Moderna across 30 countries. The legal actions target Moderna's alleged unauthorized use of their lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology in Spikevax® and mRESVIA® products.

The lawsuits have been filed in multiple jurisdictions including Canada, Japan, Switzerland, and the Unified Patent Court (UPC). The companies are seeking monetary damages and injunctions against Moderna's products. Evidence from testing commercial Moderna samples from the U.S. and Europe indicates the presence of LNPs that fall under their patent claims.

This international enforcement expands on their ongoing U.S. proceeding in Delaware, where a jury trial is scheduled for September 2025. The LNP technology, important for mRNA medicine delivery, was developed by Arbutus and Genevant scientists and has been licensed to various third parties.

Arbutus Biopharma (Nasdaq: ABUS) announced significant leadership changes, appointing Lindsay Androski as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Interim President and CEO Michael J. McElhaugh, effective immediately. Androski, an MIT-trained biologist with nearly 30 years of experience in biotechnology, law, and academia, will also join the company's board of directors.

The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company has also appointed four new directors to its board: Robert Alan Beardsley, Joseph Bishop, Matthew Gline, and Anuj Hasija. All previous board members have stepped down, reducing the board to five members total. The company may consider adding directors with clinical development expertise in the coming months.

Androski stated that these leadership changes aim to enable "renewed focus on advancing the company's pipeline efficiently and maximizing the company's contributions to LNP delivery technology through Genevant." The company will temporarily pause investor meetings while the new leadership reviews development plans and strategic options for its hepatitis B programs.

Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ: ABUS) announced its 2025 corporate objectives and financial update. The company plans to initiate a Phase 2b clinical trial in the first half of 2025, following successful results from their IM-PROVE I Phase 2a trial. The trial showed a 50% functional cure rate in specific HBeAg-negative patients and 25% overall cure rate using imdusiran with interferon and NA therapy.

The company reported approximately $123 million in cash and investments as of December 31, 2024, expecting to reduce its net cash burn to $47-50 million in 2025 from about $65 million in 2024. This funding is projected to sustain operations through Q1 2028. Arbutus continues its litigation against Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech regarding LNP technology patents, with Moderna's trial scheduled for September 2025.

Whitefort Capital, a major shareholder of Arbutus Biopharma (NASDAQ: ABUS) with a 6.8% stake, has sent a letter to the Board urging the company to pursue a license and collaboration agreement with a strategic partner for its Hepatitis B (HBV) portfolio. The letter follows confirmatory results from the IM-PROVE I Phase 2a trial, which showed a 50% functional cure rate in certain patients. Despite positive data, Arbutus' share price fell over 5%. Whitefort Capital advises against further dilutive equity issuances or ATM use for another year and requests a meeting with the Board to align on the company's future direction.

Arbutus Biopharma (Nasdaq: ABUS) has announced its participation in the H.C Wainwright @ Home virtual fireside chat series, scheduled for December 3, 2024, at 11:00 am ET. The event will be accessible via webcast on the company's investor relations website.

Arbutus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (cHBV) infection. Their approach combines HBV DNA suppression, surface antigen reduction, and immune response boosting. The company's pipeline includes imdusiran (AB-729), an RNAi therapeutic showing promising functional cure rates in combination therapy, and AB-101, an oral PD-L1 inhibitor currently in Phase 1a/1b clinical trials.

Arbutus Biopharma (ABUS) announced promising results from its IM-PROVE I Phase 2a clinical trial for imdusiran, its RNAi therapeutic for chronic hepatitis B virus (cHBV). When combined with 24 weeks of pegylated interferon and nucleos(t)ide analogue therapy, the treatment achieved a 50% functional cure rate (3/6 patients) in patients with baseline HBsAg levels below 1000 IU/mL, and a 25% overall functional cure rate (3/12 patients). The combination therapy was generally safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events. The data will be presented at AASLD – The Liver Meeting® on November 18, 2024.