Vir Biotechnology (VIR) Stock Jumps 13% After Phase 3 Hepatitis Delta Win

TLDR

• Vir Biotechnology stock rose 13% to $13.85 on Monday.
• Phase 3 ECLIPSE 1 met its primary and key secondary endpoints.
• 44% of treated patients had undetectable virus and normal ALT at Week 48, versus 0% for delayed treatment.
• One Grade 3 treatment-related event was reported, and no patient stopped treatment.
• Phase 2 SOLSTICE data showed all 28 patients finishing 96 weeks had undetectable virus.

Vir Biotechnology (VIR) stock jumped 13% to $13.85 on Monday. The move followed Phase 3 results for its hepatitis delta combination treatment.

Vir Biotechnology, Inc., VIR

That price tops the $12.45 52-week high cited earlier in the session. The stock is up 138% over the past year, with a market cap of $2.09 billion.

The company presented the data Sunday at the AASLD meeting in Denver. ECLIPSE 1 met its primary and key secondary endpoints.

The regimen pairs elebsiran, an siRNA, with tobevibart, a monoclonal antibody. Patients received monthly injections under the skin.

What ECLIPSE 1 Showed

The trial enrolled 124 adults with chronic hepatitis delta. Patients were split 2:1 between the combination and delayed treatment.

At Week 48, 44% on the combination had undetectable HDV RNA and normal ALT levels. The delayed group posted 0% at Week 12, with a p-value under 0.0001.

On the key secondary endpoint, 79% of treated patients had undetectable virus at Week 48. The delayed group sat at 0% again, which made the comparison easy.

Cirrhosis did not block the response. Results were 85% in patients with cirrhosis and 73% in those without.

Safety looked clean on paper. One Grade 3 treatment-related event, a drop in neutrophil count, cleared within 15 days.

No patient stopped or paused treatment. Most side effects were mild to moderate, mainly flu-like symptoms after the first dose that faded within 24 to 48 hours.

Phase 2 Data Adds a Longer View

Vir also shared expanded Phase 2 SOLSTICE data. At Week 96, all 28 patients who completed the combination had undetectable HDV RNA.

Among patients with paired liver stiffness readings, 89% were improved or stable. No drug-related discontinuations or serious adverse events occurred.

Ten patients stopped treatment, and all kept their viral response through Week 12. Seven held through Week 24 and one through Week 48, with no viral rebound or ALT flares.

Vir called those finite-treatment findings preliminary and based on a small interim snapshot. The data point to a possible treatment-free response but do not show a cure.

In its third-quarter report, Vir posted an adjusted EPS of -$0.57 against an expected loss of -$0.74. That was a 23% surprise.

The most recent analyst rating cited is Buy with a $22 price target. Analyst targets range from $17 to $30.

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