Company Description
Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGS) is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for liver and viral diseases. According to the company, its mission is to improve patient outcomes by advancing best-in-class therapeutics in areas of high unmet medical need, including chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, obesity, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and coronaviruses.
Aligos describes itself as applying a science-driven approach and deep research and development expertise to a purpose-built pipeline. This pipeline includes multiple investigational drug candidates that target distinct biological mechanisms involved in liver and viral diseases, with an emphasis on chronic HBV and metabolic liver conditions.
Focus on chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV)
A central program at Aligos is pevifoscorvir sodium (also referred to as "pevy"), which the company characterizes as a potent oral small molecule capsid assembly modulator (CAM-E) under investigation for the treatment of chronic HBV infection. Phase 1 studies of pevifoscorvir sodium have evaluated single and multiple daily doses, including longer-term dosing up to 96 weeks. The company reports that these studies have shown antiviral activity with sustained reductions in HBV DNA and other viral biomarkers, and that pevifoscorvir sodium has been well-tolerated in the studied populations.
Aligos has initiated a Phase 2 study called B-SUPREME (NCT06963710) in untreated HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative adults with chronic HBV infection. The study is designed as a randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter trial comparing pevifoscorvir sodium monotherapy with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. The company states that the trial evaluates virologic endpoints such as HBV DNA levels below the lower limit of quantification, as well as safety, pharmacokinetics, and additional HBV biomarkers, including HBV antigens.
In presentations at scientific meetings, Aligos has highlighted data suggesting that pevifoscorvir sodium may have effects across the HBV lifecycle. The company has reported rapid, profound, and durable reductions in HBV DNA in both HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative subjects in Phase 1 monotherapy cohorts, with suppression maintained over extended treatment periods. It has also described concurrent reductions in HBV antigens and RNA, and preclinical data on ALG-001075, the active parent moiety of pevifoscorvir sodium, indicating prevention of cccDNA formation and HBV DNA integration in vitro.
Programs in obesity and MASH
Beyond HBV, Aligos is developing ALG-055009, which it describes as a potent small molecule thyroid hormone receptor beta (THR-β) agonist under investigation for the treatment of obesity and MASH. The company has presented nonclinical in vivo data in diet-induced obese mouse models showing that ALG-055009, when combined with incretin receptor agonists such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, produced synergistic body weight loss compared with monotherapy. According to Aligos, the additional weight loss in combination regimens was primarily due to increased fat mass reduction without a significant impact on lean mass or food consumption relative to incretin receptor agonist monotherapy.
These preclinical findings support Aligos’ view that ALG-055009 may have a role in combination regimens in the cardiometabolic space, particularly where incretin receptor agonists are used. The company has also indicated that it is evaluating options to fund continued development of ALG-055009, including potential out-licensing.
Additional liver and viral disease research
Aligos reports ongoing early-stage and preclinical work in other liver and viral disease programs. These include antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) approaches targeting HBV and hepatitis delta virus (HDV), as well as preclinical short interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules targeting human HSD17beta13 for the potential treatment of MASH. The company has presented data on these programs at scientific conferences, emphasizing continued exploration of next-generation therapies in liver and viral disease.
In the area of coronaviruses, Aligos identifies coronaviruses as one of the disease categories addressed by its pipeline. Public descriptions of the company’s strategy consistently reference coronaviruses alongside HBV, obesity, and MASH as areas of focus for its therapeutics, although the detailed program descriptions provided emphasize HBV and metabolic liver disease.
Corporate profile and listing
Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and lists its common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq Capital Market) under the ticker symbol ALGS. The company is based in South San Francisco, California, a location noted in its SEC filings as the site of its principal offices. As a clinical stage biotechnology company, Aligos does not describe itself as having approved commercial products in the provided materials; instead, it focuses on the development and clinical evaluation of its investigational candidates.
The company has adopted equity incentive plans and inducement plans to support hiring and retention. For example, Aligos has disclosed a 2020 Incentive Award Plan and subsequent amendments to increase the number of shares reserved under the plan, as well as a 2024 Inducement Plan used for equity awards to new employees under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). These plans reflect the company’s use of stock-based compensation as part of its overall employment and incentive structure.
Regulatory and scientific engagement
Aligos reports that pevifoscorvir sodium has a regulatory path acknowledged by multiple regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China, for studies utilizing a chronic suppressive pathway in HBV. The company regularly presents data from its programs at scientific and medical conferences, such as AASLD’s The Liver Meeting and the HEP-DART meeting, and posts related materials in its posters and presentations resources.
The company’s disclosures emphasize a combination of clinical development, preclinical research, and regulatory interactions as core elements of its approach to advancing therapies for liver and viral diseases.
Stock and governance information
Aligos’ SEC filings indicate that its common stock has a par value of $0.0001 per share and is registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The company has amended its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of voting and non-voting common stock, reflecting its capital structure needs as a publicly traded biotechnology issuer. Stockholders vote on matters such as director elections, auditor ratification, equity plan amendments, and changes to authorized share counts at annual meetings, as documented in its Form 8-K filings.
Through its public communications and regulatory filings, Aligos presents itself as a clinical stage biotechnology company with a focused pipeline in liver and viral diseases, a lead HBV program (pevifoscorvir sodium) in Phase 2 development, and additional candidates in obesity, MASH, and nucleic acid-based approaches for HBV and HDV.