Brii Biosciences

Market position

Brii Bio describes itself as advancing a broad pipeline in infectious disease with lead programs in HBV, a market it characterizes as having more than 290 million people infected globally, an estimated 820,000 deaths annually from chronic HBV complications, and current options achieving only 3-7% functional cure. It cites more than 300,000 new HBV-related HCC cases annually in China, more than 38 million people living with HIV globally, and nearly five million deaths worldwide associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance in 2019. A third-party directory lists comparable or similar companies including Roivant, BridgeBio, WuXi AppTec, Moderna, Editas Medicine, Genentech, AbbVie, EQRx, Celgene, Gilead Sciences, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research and Amgen.

Brii Bio positions its HBV strategy around building multiple candidates with distinct therapeutic modalities so that combination regimens can be tailored to different HBV patient subpopulations, in contrast to the current standard of care, which it describes as requiring lifelong medication and delivering only a 3-7% functional cure rate. In HIV it emphasizes long-acting once-weekly oral and injectable formulations versus once-daily pill regimens. At founding it also framed itself as addressing China-specific barriers to innovative medicines, combining partnerships, in-house R&D and digital/data approaches.

Technology

The pipeline spans multiple therapeutic modalities. Named assets include BRII-179 (VBI-2601), an HBV immunotherapeutic candidate evaluated for its ability to prime and boost HBsAg loss; PreHevbri, a prophylactic 3-antigen adult HBV vaccine licensed from VBI Vaccines for Asia-Pacific excluding Japan; VBI-1901, licensed for Asia-Pacific excluding Japan; and soralimixin, a first-in-class cyclic peptide for multidrug-resistant infections. The company also describes long-acting HIV formulations, including once-weekly oral therapies and long-acting injectables. It acquired intellectual property and manufacturing technologies from VBI Vaccines in 2024.

Go-to-market

The company advances candidates through clinical trials and presents data at scientific congresses such as APASL and EASL. Commercial reach is pursued substantially through licensing and alliances: in-licensing assets from VBI Vaccines and an option arrangement with Vir Biotechnology, and out-licensing soralimixin to Joincare Group for Greater China. Its founding strategy also included partnerships with WuXi for R&D capabilities and Alibaba for digital patient engagement and clinical trial data.

Patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis D virus co-infection, HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma, multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, and HIV, together with the healthcare providers, regulators, public health bodies and corporate partners the company identifies as key stakeholders.

Geography

The company states operations in both China and the United States. At launch it was described as based in Shanghai with operations in Beijing, San Francisco and Durham, North Carolina; a later secondary source lists sites in Raleigh-Durham, the San Francisco Bay Area, Beijing and Shanghai, and another lists the company's location as Durham, North Carolina. Open roles posted on the company's careers page are in Beijing, Guangzhou and Chengdu/Chongqing, China. Licensing rights are segmented geographically, including Greater China (soralimixin, licensed to Joincare) and Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (PreHevbri, VBI-1901).

History

Brii Biosciences was established in 2018 and launched publicly in May 2018 with $260 million in committed capital and three simultaneous partnerships (Vir Biotechnology, WuXi and Alibaba). It was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under stock code 2137.HK on July 13, 2021. In July 2023 it expanded its HBV partnership with VBI Vaccines to obtain a global license to BRII-179 (VBI-2601) and Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) rights to the PreHevbri adult HBV vaccine; in February 2024 it acquired intellectual property and manufacturing technologies from VBI Vaccines and gained an Asia-Pacific (ex-Japan) license to VBI-1901. Brian Alvin Johns was appointed Chief Scientific Officer in January 2024. In June 2025 the company formed an alliance with Joincare Pharmaceutical Group, granting Joincare Greater China rights to soralimixin. Through 2025-2026 the company reported Phase 2 ENSURE data at APASL 2025 and EASL 2026 and topline end-of-treatment data from the Phase 2b ENRICH and ENHANCE chronic hepatitis B studies.

Risks & controversies

The company is clinical-stage in its disclosed programs, with lead assets in Phase 2/2b, so outcomes depend on trial results and regulatory review. Founder Zhi Hong noted at launch that the company's runway depended on its success in forming partnerships. Funding figures reported by third parties are inconsistent ($450 million round reported May 2025 versus $415 million total funding with a last round in March 2021), and one third-party description attributes a central nervous system focus that the company's own materials do not state; these discrepancies are unresolved in the available sources.