San Francisco, California, USA, November 6, 2026
AusperBio Therapeutics, Inc. and Ausper Biopharma Co., Ltd. have announced encouraging long-term clinical follow-up results for AHB-137, an investigational antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy being developed for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). The latest findings demonstrate that participants who achieved a functional cure following AHB-137 treatment maintained their response for up to 15 months after discontinuing all hepatitis B treatment. The results were presented in two late-breaking oral presentations at The Liver Meeting 2026, organized by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), held in Denver, Colorado, from November 5–9, 2026. The research evaluated two distinct patient populations, including individuals previously treated with nucleos(t)ide analogue (NA) antiviral medications and treatment-naïve participants who received AHB-137 monotherapy. Among the NA-treated participants with available follow-up data, 16 of 17 maintained functional cure at 12 months after discontinuing NA treatment, while all nine evaluable participants maintained their response at 15 months. In the treatment-naïve group, six of seven participants who initially achieved a complete response maintained functional cure through 15 months after stopping AHB-137. These findings provide encouraging evidence supporting the potential development of finite-duration treatment strategies for chronic hepatitis B, an important unmet medical need because many patients currently require long-term or lifelong antiviral medication.
Treatment-Naïve and Previously Treated Patients Maintain Responses
The long-term findings came from Study AB-10-8004, which evaluated the durability of treatment responses and safety among participants who had achieved complete or partial responses in earlier Phase 2 clinical studies. The NA-treated cohort included 34 participants, comprising 21 complete responders and 13 partial responders, who had previously participated in studies AB-10-8002 and AB-10-8003. Among the evaluable complete responders, 16 of 17 maintained functional cure at 12 months after discontinuing nucleos(t)ide analogue treatment. At 15 months, all nine participants with available follow-up continued to maintain their response. Importantly, none of the participants required reinitiation of NA treatment during the reported follow-up period. The treatment-naïve cohort included 11 participants who had received 16 weeks of AHB-137 monotherapy followed by a 24-week treatment-free observation period in the parent study. Of the seven participants who achieved a complete response, six maintained functional cure at nine months after treatment discontinuation and continued to maintain their response through 15 months. One participant experienced viral rebound and withdrew from the study. These findings suggest that sustained viral control may be possible even after treatment withdrawal in selected patients who initially achieve a complete response.
Partial Responders Show Further Improvement After Treatment
Another important observation from the long-term analysis involved participants who initially achieved only a partial response during their earlier treatment studies. Among six NA-treated partial responders who discontinued antiviral medication, two subsequently achieved a complete response during off-treatment follow-up. This finding is particularly interesting because it suggests that some patients may continue to experience improvements in viral markers after completing their investigational treatment. Researchers believe that sustained immune responses may contribute to maintaining viral control following the reduction of viral antigen levels. AHB-137 is designed to target hepatitis B virus RNA through an antisense oligonucleotide mechanism, reducing the production of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and inhibiting viral replication. By lowering viral antigen levels, the treatment aims to create conditions that may support the restoration of the body’s immune response against HBV. The company reported that no clinical relapse, severe hepatic flares, hepatic decompensation or new safety signals were observed during the reported follow-up in either patient cohort. These safety observations provide additional information about treatment discontinuation and long-term monitoring, although larger studies will be needed to confirm the durability and safety of the approach.
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AusperBio Advances AHB-137 Toward Phase 3 Development
The latest findings strengthen AusperBio’s clinical development strategy for AHB-137, its lead investigational oligonucleotide therapy for chronic hepatitis B. Developed using the company’s proprietary Med-Oligo™ antisense oligonucleotide platform, AHB-137 is designed to target HBV RNA, suppress HBsAg production and support the restoration of immune control. The candidate has progressed through a global Phase 1 study and multiple Phase 2 investigations and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 clinical trial in China. AusperBio is also advancing a broader development strategy involving oligonucleotide therapeutics and targeted delivery technologies. Chronic hepatitis B affects approximately 240 million people worldwide and remains a major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Although existing nucleos(t)ide analogue therapies can effectively suppress viral replication, they rarely eliminate HBsAg, meaning many patients require continued treatment. A treatment capable of achieving durable functional cure after a limited treatment period could represent an important advancement in hepatitis B management. However, AHB-137 remains investigational and has not received regulatory approval. The reported findings involve relatively small groups of selected responders, and larger controlled clinical studies will be essential to establish long-term efficacy, safety and the potential for broader patient benefit.
Source: AusperBio press release
