TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced additional results from preclinical studies that demonstrated the ability of the SMAC-mimetic, birinapant, to clear Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) in mouse models. Birinapant's effect occurred in a dose-related manner. This was associated with apoptosis of infected hepatocytes and transient elevation of liver transaminases.

Normal hepatocytes were spared. The clearance of HBV-DNA was also seen with entecavir, and the two agents together were more effective than either agent alone. These results were confirmed using mice in which the targets of birinapant, the cIAPs, were ablated in the liver ("knock-out mice").

In C3H mice that do not spontaneously clear HBV, birinapant treatment resulted in loss of HBV-DNA, loss of HBsAg and the appearance of anti-HBsAg antibodies. These preclinical results provide a compelling rationale for TetraLogic's recently initiated clinical study in HBV.