Vivek Ramaswamy’s Roivant backs Arbutus’ hepatitis B program

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With hepatitis C virus starting to look like a conquered foe, attention is turning to the fight against chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV), and Vivek Ramaswamy’s Roivant has just put another sizable block of cash behind a program in development at Canada’s Arbutus Biopharma.

The $116 million share purchase deal comes on the heels of positive phase 2 data for Arbutus’ lead HBV candidate ARB-1467, which suggest the gene-silencing drug can further reduce hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels when added to Gilead’s mainstay HBV drug Viread (tenofovir).

Roivant is already the largest backer of the RNA company—and Ramaswamy is its chairman—but the increased stake provides the Vancouver-based biotech with the resources it needs to accelerate the development of ARB-1467 and its other clinical and preclinical candidates.