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TerminatedNCT04684914Updated Dec 8, 2025Results posted

HepTcell Immunotherapy in Patients With Inactive Chronic Hepatitis B (CHB)

A Phase 2 interventional study of HepTcell and Placebo in Hepatitis B, Chronic, sponsored by Altimmune, Inc.. Terminated at 21 sites in 5 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 65 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-12-08.

Sponsored by Altimmune, Inc. · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment

Why this study was terminated
Did not meet endpoints
Phase
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
87
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
18 Years to 65 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

A study to evaluate the antiviral effects, immunogenicity, and safety of HepTcell in treatment-naive patients with inactive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and low hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) levels.

02

Conditions studied

  • Hepatitis B, Chronic

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Keywords

  • Immunotherapy
  • CHB
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 65 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Men and women 18 to 65 years of age, inclusive
  • Inactive CHB with documented HBsAg positivity for at least 12 months before Day 1
  • qHBsAg ≥ 10 IU/mL but ≤ 100 IU/mL in the 12 months prior to screening
  • HBV DNA ≥ 10 IU/mL at screening
  • AST, ALT, INR, albumin, total bilirubin (excluding patients with Gilbert Syndrome) and direct bilirubin within normal limits at screening

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Positive hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) at screening
  • History of a hepatitis B flare or 1-log increase in HBV DNA or HBsAg in the prior 12 months
  • Undetectable HBV DNA at screening
  • Fibroscan > 8.5 kPA at screening, or history of hepatic fibrosis or cirrhosis (NB, a Fibroscan is not required if an examination is performed within 12 months or a liver biopsy was performed within 2 years before Screening and no fibrosis [F1 or greater] was identified).
04

Study design

Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Investigator)
Enrollment
87 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    HepTcell

    Dose administered at intervals of 4 weeks for 6 doses

    Biological: HepTcell

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo

    Dose administered at intervals of 4 weeks for 6 doses

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • BiologicalHepTcell

    Intramuscular injection

  • DrugPlacebo

    Intramuscular injection

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. The Proportion of Patients Achieving Virologic Responses

    Virologic response is defined as a 1.0-log reduction in quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or serologic clearance of HBsAg from Baseline to Day 169

    Time frame: Baseline to Day 169

Secondary outcomes

  1. The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) on Day 169

    Time frame: Baseline to Day 169

  2. The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA on Day 169

    Time frame: Baseline to Day 169

  3. Changes in Quantitative HBsAg Level

    Time frame: Baseline to Days 85 and 169

  4. Changes in HBV DNA Levels

    Time frame: Baseline to Days 85 and 169

  5. Changes in Hepatitis B Core-related Antigen (HBCrAg) Levels

    Time frame: Baseline to Days 85 and 169

  6. Changes in Pre-genomic RNA Levels

    Time frame: Baseline to Days 85 and 169

  7. Change in IFN-gamma Frequency by ELISpot Assay in PBMCs

    Percent change in antigen-specific spot forming cells per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

    Time frame: Baseline to Days 85 and 169

06

Results

Posted Dec 8, 2025

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneHepTcellPlacebo
Started4245
Treated4143
Completed4043
Not completed22
Withdrew: Withdrawal by subject10
Withdrew: Discontinued before receiving study treatment12

Outcome measures

PrimaryThe Proportion of Patients Achieving Virologic Responses

Virologic response is defined as a 1.0-log reduction in quantitative hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) or serologic clearance of HBsAg from Baseline to Day 169

Time frame:
Baseline to Day 169
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Virologic Responses
ParticipantsHepTcellPlacebo
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Virologic Responses10
Statistical analysis
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Chi-squared · p = 0.3029
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Fisher Exact · p = 0.4881
SecondaryThe Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) on Day 169
Time frame:
Baseline to Day 169
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) on Day 169
ParticipantsHepTcellPlacebo
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) on Day 16910
Statistical analysis
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Chi-squared · p = 0.3029
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Fisher Exact · p = 0.4881
SecondaryThe Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA on Day 169
Time frame:
Baseline to Day 169
Reported as:
Count of participants · Participants
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA on Day 169
ParticipantsHepTcellPlacebo
The Proportion of Patients Achieving Serologic Clearance of Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) DNA on Day 16958
Statistical analysis
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Chi-squared · p = 0.4169
  • HepTcell vs Placebo · Fisher Exact · p = 0.5495
SecondaryChanges in Quantitative HBsAg Level
Time frame:
Baseline to Days 85 and 169
Reported as:
Mean · IU/mL
Changes in Quantitative HBsAg Level
IU/mLHepTcellPlacebo
Day 85-7.76 ± 28.01-8.47 ± 15.85
Day 169-13.72 ± 32.80-10.19 ± 31.87
SecondaryChanges in HBV DNA Levels
Time frame:
Baseline to Days 85 and 169
Reported as:
Mean · IU/mL
Changes in HBV DNA Levels
IU/mLHepTcellPlacebo
Day 85-7559.73 ± 46650.54-5270.05 ± 33240.79
Day 169-7868.48 ± 44871.40-4690.12 ± 32070.75
SecondaryChanges in Hepatitis B Core-related Antigen (HBCrAg) Levels
Time frame:
Baseline to Days 85 and 169
Reported as:
Mean · kU/mL
Changes in Hepatitis B Core-related Antigen (HBCrAg) Levels
kU/mLHepTcellPlacebo
Day 85-4.00 ± 7.811.00 ± NA
Day 169-1.00 ± 1.001.00 ± NA
SecondaryChanges in Pre-genomic RNA Levels
Time frame:
Baseline to Days 85 and 169
Reported as:
Mean · Log U/mL
Changes in Pre-genomic RNA Levels
Log U/mLHepTcellPlacebo
Day 850.26 ± 0.420.16 ± 0.39
Day 1690.31 ± 0.440.30 ± 0.48
SecondaryChange in IFN-gamma Frequency by ELISpot Assay in PBMCs

Percent change in antigen-specific spot forming cells per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)

Time frame:
Baseline to Days 85 and 169
Reported as:
Mean · percent change
Change in IFN-gamma Frequency by ELISpot Assay in PBMCs
percent changeHepTcellPlacebo
Day 853.71 ± 39.02-0.14 ± 21.50
Day 169-5.28 ± 28.563.45 ± 45.56

Adverse events

Collected over 6 months. Non-serious events are listed at a 2% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
HepTcell0/41 (0%)0/41 (0%)19/41 (46.3%)
Placebo0/43 (0%)0/43 (0%)29/43 (67.4%)
Most frequent other events
Showing 10 of 17
Most frequent other events
EventHepTcellPlacebo
COVID-19Infections and infestations6/414/43
Back painMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders3/413/43
Neutrophil count decreasedInvestigations1/413/43
HeadacheNervous system disorders2/412/43
PyrexiaGeneral disorders2/412/43
DiarrheaGastrointestinal disorders1/412/43
Food poisoningGastrointestinal disorders0/412/43
ArthralgiaMusculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders1/412/43
Influenza A virus test positiveInvestigations0/412/43
FatigueGeneral disorders0/412/43

Baseline characteristics

mITT population: all randomized subjects who received any amount of study medication and had a baseline and at least one postbaseline efficacy assessment

Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)HepTcellPlaceboTotal
Mean50.95 ± 9.0753.21 ± 8.0852.11 ± 8.60
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)HepTcellPlaceboTotal
Female131932
Male282452
Race (NIH/OMB)
Race (NIH/OMB)(Participants)HepTcellPlaceboTotal
American Indian or Alaska Native000
Asian272451
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander000
Black or African American268
White121123
More than one race000
Unknown or Not Reported022
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)HepTcellPlaceboTotal
Canada6814
United States6410
United Kingdom145
Germany011
Spain91120
Thailand131225
Italy639
07

Study locations

21 sites
  • Paragon Rx Clinical
    Garden Grove, California 92840, United States
  • Stanford University Department of Medicine
    Redwood City, California 94063, United States
  • San Jose Gastroenterology Institute
    San Jose, California 95128, United States
  • Kansas City Research Institute
    Kansas City, Missouri 64131, United States
  • Central Sooner Research
    Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73071, United States
  • University of Calgary Liver Unit - Heritage Medical Research Clinic
    Calgary, Alberta T2N 4Z6, Canada
  • University of Alberta Hospital
    Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G3, Canada
  • The Ottawa Hospital
    Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada
  • Toronto Centre for Liver Disease (TCLD), Toronto General Hospital, UHN
    Toronto, Ontario M5G 2C4, Canada
  • Toronto Liver Centre
    Toronto, Ontario M6H 3M1, Canada
  • Goethe University Hospital
    Frankfurt am Main, 60590, Germany
  • Univesritätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf
    Hamburg, 20246, Germany
  • Hospital Clínic De Barcelona
    Barcelona, 08028, Spain
  • Hospital Universitari Vall D'Hebron
    Barcelona, 08035, Spain
  • Hospital Universitario La Paz
    Madrid, 28046, Spain
  • Hospital Nuestra Señora De Valme
    Seville, 41014, Spain
  • Consorcio Hospital General Universitario De Valencia
    Valencia, 46014, Spain
  • Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe
    Valencia, 46026, Spain
  • St. Georges University of London
    London, SW17 0RE, United Kingdom
  • St. Mary's Hospital
    London, W2 1NY, United Kingdom
  • Queens Medical Center
    Nottingham, NG7 2UH, United Kingdom
08

References and documents

Study documents

  • Study protocol · Jul 24, 2022
  • Statistical analysis plan · Apr 22, 2024

Documents are hosted by the registry — open the source record to download them.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT04684914
Lead sponsor
Altimmune, Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Dec 28, 2020
Start date
Dec 26, 2020
Primary completion
Mar 27, 2024
Completion
Apr 17, 2024
Results posted
Dec 8, 2025
Last update
Dec 8, 2025

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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