Release of the sixth “Insights on HDV and HBV” video for World Hepatitis Day 2026

To mark World Hepatitis Day 2026, TherVacB, D‑SOLVE, Deutsche Leberstiftung, ICE‑HBV, the Stephan Urban Foundation, and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) answer one of the questions most frequently asked by people living with hepatitis B and D: What treatment options are available for hepatitis D today, and what could become available in the future?

Releasing the sixth video in their joint awareness series “Insights on HDV and HBV” on WHD2026, the new video builds on previous episodes covering hepatitis B and D diagnosis, co-infection, prevention and research. The new video helps people living with hepatitis B and D understand today’s hepatitis D treatment landscape. It explains why hepatitis D matters and testing matters so much, the current standard of care, the advantages and limitations of available therapies – including bulevirtide – and introduces the most promising treatments currently being evaluated in clinical trials.

This year’s WHO theme, “Let’s break it down”, highlights the importance of making hepatitis information clear and accessible. The WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2026 likewise identifies hepatitis D as the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis and calls for improved testing, surveillance and access to care. The new video contributes to this effort by translating complex research into practical information for patients, families and healthcare professionals. 

 What will you learn in the new video?

In the new video, Dr Elisabetta Degasperi from the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the Foundation Policlinico of the University of Milan in Italy explains the latest developments in hepatitis D care. Drawing on her experience caring for people living with hepatitis B and D and her work in international clinical trials, including D-SOLVE, Dr Degasperi answers four key questions:

1. What is hepatitis D?
2. What is the current standard treatment for hepatitis D?
3. What are the advantages and limitations of bulevirtide, the first approved treatment for hepatitis D?
4. Which new treatment approaches are currently being evaluated in clinical trials?

The video includes English captions, and automatic subtitles are available in multiple languages, making the content accessible to audiences around the world.

What is new in hepatitis D treatment?

Treatment options for hepatitis D have long been limited. The new video gives a simple overview of today’s treatment landscape and explains what may become available next. This is especially important because many people living with hepatitis B are still not aware that hepatitis D can also affect them. More knowledge means earlier testing, earlier diagnosis and better care.

The new video by Dr Degasperri explains today’s standard of care and introduces several promising therapies currently being evaluated in clinical trials. For people living with hepatitis B, understanding these advances can support informed discussions with their healthcare teams and encourage appropriate HDV testing. 

Treatment options for hepatitis D are evolving rapidly. Since the recording of the video, another important milestone has been reached: in 2026, bulevirtide also received FDA approval in the United States, expanding access to the first approved hepatitis D therapy beyond Europe. The treatment had already been available in Russia and several neighbouring countries since 2019.  

Why does hepatitis D matter for people living with hepatitis B?

Hepatitis D only occurs in people who already have hepatitis B (HBV), because the hepatitis D virus (HDV) needs hepatitis B surface protein to multiply. Although hepatitis D affects an estimated 12 million people worldwide, many people living with chronic hepatitis B are unaware that they could also be infected with HDV.

While D-SOLVE EU project is helping improve today’s diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis D, TherVacB is working towards a therapeutic vaccine that aims to achieve functional cure of chronic hepatitis B. Because hepatitis D depends on hepatitis B to survive, advances in HBV cure research could ultimately transform the outlook for people living with both infections.

According to the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2026, HBV-HDV co-infection is the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis and can progress rapidly to cirrhosis and liver cancer. At the same time, treatment options have historically been limited, making awareness and early diagnosis especially important. The WHO also notes that preventing hepatitis B through vaccination helps prevent hepatitis D as well. For people living with chronic hepatitis B, this means that hepatitis D should always be part of the conversation. Early testing and clear information can make a real difference.   

May 2026
Scientific Results | Clinical Development | Hepatitis B Research

New early clinical trial results support the ongoing TherVacB patient study for chronic hepatitis B.

A recent analysis published by GlobalData Healthcare and Clinical Trials Arena highlights findings from a completed first-in-human Phase Ia clinical study conducted outside the EU-funded TherVacB project.

In healthy adult volunteers, the therapeutic vaccine candidate “TherVacB” was shown to be safe, well tolerated, and capable of triggering strong immune responses. Early studies of this kind are an essential first step before evaluating new therapeutic approaches in people living with chronic hepatitis B.

These results provide important support for the ongoing TherVacB clinical study, which aims to develop a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B by helping the immune system regain control over HBV infection.

Why do these early results matter for TherVacB patients?

Chronic hepatitis B affects around 254 million people worldwide and can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Current treatments can suppress the virus, but they rarely achieve a functional cure and often require lifelong therapy.

The TherVacB EU project is developing a therapeutic vaccine approach designed to help the immune system regain long-term control over HBV infection.

The completed Phase Ia is important because it showed for the first time that the “TherVacB” vaccine candidate could safely trigger strong immune responses in humans. These findings provide important support for the ongoing TherVacB patient study and the project’s continued clinical development pathway.

What happens next in the TherVacB patient study?

TherVacB clinical centres are actively enrolling people living with chronic hepatitis B into the ongoing Phase Ib patient study.

This study is an important next step in evaluating the TherVacB vaccine approach in people affected by chronic HBV infection. The encouraging findings from healthy volunteers are now helping guide the ongoing patient study. Researchers are now assessing safety, tolerability, and immune responses to better understand whether the vaccine approach can help patients regain immune control over the virus.

Alongside the clinical study, the TherVacB project continues its work on immune monitoring, biomarker research, patient engagement, and awareness activities to support the long-term goal of developing a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B.

Read More

• Read the full analysis by Clinical Trials Arena and GlobalData Healthcare:
  https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/analyst-comment/escmid-global-2026-thervacb-phase-i-data/
• Explore TherVacB scientific publications and dissemination activities:
  https://www.thervacb.eu/media-center/publications/

Stay informed, stay protected with our campaign “Insights on HDV and HBV” – everything you need to know about hepatitis D and B.

To honour World Hepatitis Day 2025 (28 July), the two EU-funded projects TherVacB and D‑SOLVE release the fifth video in their joint awareness campaign to shed light on two often misunderstood viruses: hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis D (HDV).

In support of this year’s global theme –  “Let’s break it down” – the campaign delivers clear, simple explanations that help communities understand how these viruses interact, why co-infection matters, and how science is working towards better treatments and a functional cure.

Hepatitis B and D are closely linked – hepatitis D can only occur in people who already have hepatitis B. Yet, many people living with hepatitis B are unaware of their risk of also contracting hepatitis D, which can lead to faster liver damage and worse outcomes. Raising awareness of this co-infection is essential to improve early testing, diagnosis, and care — and to ensure that both patients and healthcare providers recognize the importance of dual management and emerging treatment options.

The “Insights on HDV and HBV” video series provides accessible answers to key questions about diagnosis, co-infection, treatment needs, and research progress. Created by scientists and clinicians to answer most important questions raised in the patient communities, the series breaks down complex science into understandable messages to support early detection and increase awareness of functional cure strategies for HBV and treatment gaps for HDV.

The campaign was developed by TherVacB, D‑SOLVE, Deutsche Leberstiftung, ICE‑HBV, the Stephan Urban Foundation, and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF).

Voices from Science and Medicine – The Campaign’s Experts at a Glance

Each video addresses current questions and brings together expert knowledge, clinical insights and lived experience from people affected by hepatitis B and D. The series offers accessible insights into  co-infection, diagnosis, treatment, and research progress –  helping communities better understand the risks, developments, and opportunities in tackling hepatitis B and D.

Every year, 1.3 million people lose their lives to hepatitis. New data from the World Health Organization shows the number of deaths is rising.

The TherVacB team is not waiting for change. Together with researchers from the D-Solve consortium and supporting partners, we take action to make change happen!

On World Hepatitis Day 2024, we are proud to introduce the “Hepatitis D: B aware” campaign and its new series of short videos “Insights on HDV and HBV” answering key questions relating to hepatitis D and B.

DZIF professor for Translational Virology, Prof. Stephan Urban, kicks off the video series to raise awareness about hepatitis D (HDV) and hepatitis B (HBV) and to empower the community. He contributes to “Insights on HDV and HBV” by discussing: “What is hepatitis D and hepatitis D Virus (HDV)?”

• Why does hepatitis D only exist together with hepatitis B?
• What is a superinfection with hepatitis D?
• What happens in the hepatitis B / D infected cell?

Researchers from the two EC-funded projects  ‘IP-cure-B – Take care of your health’ and ‘TherVacB – A therapeutic vaccine to cure Hepatitis B’ continue their collaboration to jointly tackle some of the major challenges in the therapy of viral hepatitis.

Building on a first exploratory session in summer 2023, a wider team of researchers are meeting on 5^th June 2024 for a 2^nd round of strategic discussions. The workshop is hosted by both consortia at the Congress of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) 2024 in Milano, Italy, and held at the Milano Convention Centre “Allianz MiCo” in the South Wing Level 2 meeting room “Amber 6”. 

In 2020, work on chronic hepatitis B by the research and clinical communities in the two projects had kicked-off in parallel. Funded by the European Commission under the same topic, both research teams have adopted stratified host-directed approaches to raise awareness and improve prevention, treatment and functional cure of hepatitis B.  

At EASL 2024, a larger group of IP-cure-B and TherVacB experts in virology, immunology and clinical hepatitis will engage in focused discussions on the different aspects of viral hepatitis B infection (HBV) and the HBV-mediated chronic disease that they are investigating to reduce the global health burden: 

• the therapeutic approaches,
• the clinical trials,
• virologic monitoring, immune profiling and biomarker identification &
• the TherVacB Patient Registry.

Professor Ulrike Protzer and her TherVacB team at Helmholtz Munich and TUM have been honoured with the prestigious Bavarian m4 Award 2023. Key members of the Helmholtz Munich and TUM team for TherVacB proudly received the m4 Award on 24 October 2023 at Munich Residence (surrounded by Bio^M representatives on the picture are from left to right Dr. Anna Kosinska, Dr. Marian Wiegand, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Protzer, Romina Bester, Dr. Frank Thiele, Prof. Dr. Percy Knolle).

The prize acknowledges their promising therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine that is able to reactivate antiviral immune responses. Preclinical models have already demonstrated its effectiveness in curing chronic infection, initial clinical trials will start soon. This includes a first-in-human study in healthy individuals without HBV infection or hepatitis B immunization. Together with the TherVacB project team, Ulrike Protzer’s  ground-breaking research initiative will take the developed TherVacB vaccine to the next level in a clinical trial involving hepatitis B patients.  

For those suffering from chronic hepatitis B, no curative treatment option exists until today. Prof. Ulrike Protzer supported by the entire TherVacB team is on a mission to establish such a therapeutic hepatitis B vaccine for an HBV cure in routine clinical use.

To this end, the m4 Award and prize money of 500,000 Euros will play a vital role. It facilitates the essential development steps required for the ultimate formulation of the TherVacB vaccine after initial clinical trial results. Importantly, it supports preparations for the establishment of a spin-off company to drive further clinical development to finally make the TherVacB therapy broadly available to hepatitis B patients.

The Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Bio^M grant the m4 Award biennially to innovative academic research projects with spin-off potential in the field of biomedicine. The Munich Biotechnology Cluster Bio^M drives Bavarian Biotech Cluster Development by supporting biotech companies from the German Federal State of Bavaria at every stage of setting up their business. 

Experts in virology, immunology and clinical hepatitis from two research projects are working towards to cure hepatitis B: ‘IP-cure-B – Take care of your health’ and ‘TherVacB – A therapeutic vaccine to cure Hepatitis B’.

To jointly tackle some of the major challenges in the therapy of viral hepatitis, researchers have met for a first round of strategic discussions in July 2023.

The two research projects share the common goal to achieve functional cure of hepatitis B. For this, they investigate different aspects of the viral hepatitis B infection (HBV) and the HBV-mediated chronic disease:

IP-cure-B aims to improve the cure rate in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) with complementary immunomodulatory concepts. Immune interventions are investigated in two settings, in a pre-clinical model and a proof-of-concept clinical study. Innovations in immunotherapy will boost the strategic selection of the best combination for effective treatment in future clinical studies.

TherVacB provides a novel curative treatment option that aims to break immune tolerance in chronic HBV infection. This will allow the immune system to clear the virus. New vaccine components will be tested in patients with CHB in a multicentre clinical proof-of-concept study. Finally, TherVacB aims to provide a new and affordable, safe and well tolerable treatment option to cure CHB – and a first opportunity for patients in Tanzania to be treated for hepatitis B.

The innovations from the two projects will be instrumental to meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 3:

• combat hepatitis B (and D) viral infection worldwide by the year 2030,
• ensure sustained health, increase the quality of life and stop stigmatization,
• including in highly endemic countries that cannot afford lifelong therapies and their monitoring.

Every year, more than a million lives are lost to hepatitis. The TherVacB team of clinical researchers, hepatologists and virologists is not waiting for change – we’re working hard to make it happen!

A better understanding of the hepatitis B infection and the HBV-mediated disease improves therapies – with your support as HBV patient!

As patient living with chronic hepatitis B in Italy, Spain, UK and Germany, you can join the European HBV Patient Registry anytime at one of TherVacB’s study centers. By joining, TherVacB clinicians will perform your routine visits. Additionally, the physicians will collect your patient data on virological and immunological parameters in a systematic way. Since its launch, the collection of patient data has been growing continuously. This collection helps clinicians to identify patients for the upcoming TherVacB vaccination trial and other studies on HBV treatment and cure. With your support, researchers can better understand the natural course of a hepatitis B infection, develop or refine therapies and help you and the HBV community worldwide.

Are you interested? Have a look at the map of participating clinical sites in Europe. Read on about the purpose of the European Patient Registry. And reach out to us, if you are interested in taking part!

Stay in touch with the Community – Join the Community Forum on 25 July to mark World Hepatitis Day 2023 !

On 25th July, 2 PM CEST / 1 PM BST, the World Hepatitis Alliance hosts the FREE and fully virtual WHD Community Forum. Join in for insights into the experiences, perspectives and unmet needs of people diagnosed with and living with hepatitis across the world. The panelists will explore global conversations around eliminating hepatitis by 2030 and why we are not waiting for hepatitis elimination. People living with hepatitis are welcome to share experiences and offer possible solutions to address challenges faced, as a result of the disease.

Do you want to join? Register anytime by clicking this link!