{"success":true,"data":{"pressRelease":{"id":"160735","rtpr_id":"nGNXc405s9-20261005","ticker":"ASMB","exchange":"NASDAQ","all_tickers":["ASMB"],"title":"Assembly Biosciences to Present Positive Phase 1a Safety, Tolerability and Target Engagement Data for ABI-6250 at AASLD The Liver Meeting® 2026","author":"Globe Newswire","published_at":"2026-10-05T14:00:00.193Z","article_body":"SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Assembly\nBiosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASMB), a biotechnology company developing\ninnovative therapeutics targeting serious viral and liver diseases, today\nannounced that two posters featuring new Phase 1a data from its ABI-6250\nprogram will be presented at The Liver Meeting® 2026, the annual meeting of\nthe American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), taking place\nNovember 5-9, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.\n\n“The Phase 1a findings support ABI-6250’s safety profile and demonstrate\npotent target engagement, and we are pleased the pharmacodynamic analysis was\nrecognized as a Poster of Distinction,” said Anuj Gaggar, M.D., Ph.D., chief\nmedical officer of Assembly Bio. “We look forward to sharing these results\nwith the hepatology community as we prepare to advance ABI-6250 into Phase 2\nstudies in both chronic HDV infection and cholestatic liver diseases.”\n\nThe presentations will include safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamic\nfindings from the randomized, blinded Phase 1a study of ABI-6250 in healthy\nparticipants. ABI-6250 was well tolerated at the doses evaluated, with no\nserious adverse events reported, and demonstrated dose-dependent, reversible\nincreases in total and conjugated bile acids consistent with sodium\ntaurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) target engagement. The Phase\n1a findings support Assembly Bio’s plans to initiate Phase 2 studies in\npatients with chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in the fourth\nquarter of 2026 and in patients with cholestatic liver diseases, focused on\nprimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), in\nthe first quarter of 2027.\n\nDetails of the presentations are as follows:\n\nPoster of Distinction Title: Oral NTCP Inhibitor ABI-6250 Elevates Bile Acids\nin a Randomized, Blinded, Phase 1a Study in Healthy Subjects\nPresenter: Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD, University of Auckland\nPublication Number: 3197\n* Session: Hepatitis – Other Infections\n* Date and Time: November 7, 2026; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT\nPoster Title: The Safety and Tolerability of ABI-6250, an Orally Administered\nNTCP Inhibitor in Healthy Participants\nPresenter: Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD, University of Auckland\nPublication Number: 3204\n* Session: Hepatitis – Other Infections\n* Date and Time: November 7, 2026; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT\nAssembly Bio intends to make the posters available on the “Events &\nPresentations” page in the “Investors” section and on the\n“Publications” page in the “Pipeline” section of its website at\nwww.assemblybio.com.\n\nAbout ABI-6250\nABI-6250 is an investigational oral small-molecule inhibitor of the sodium\ntaurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP), a membrane protein\nselectively expressed on hepatocytes that facilitates bile acid transport into\ncells and also serves as the receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and\nhepatitis delta virus (HDV) to enter hepatocytes. Assembly Bio is developing\nABI-6250 for the treatment of chronic HDV infection, where the targeting of\nNTCP blocks viral infection and is a clinically validated mechanism. ABI-6250\nis also being evaluated in cholestatic liver diseases, such as primary biliary\ncholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), where bile acid\naccumulation in the liver drives liver inflammation and liver injury. The\ntargeting of NTCP by ABI-6250 blocks the uptake of bile acids into liver\ncells.\n\nAbout Assembly Biosciences \nAssembly Biosciences is a biotechnology company developing innovative\nsmall-molecule therapeutics aimed at advancing the treatment paradigm of\nserious viral and liver diseases and improving the lives of patients\nworldwide. Led by an accomplished leadership team in antiviral and liver\ndisease drug development, Assembly Bio is committed to improving outcomes for\npeople living with the chronic impacts of herpesvirus, hepatitis delta virus\n(HDV) infections, cholestatic liver diseases and hepatitis B virus (HBV). For\nmore information, visit assemblybio.com.\n\nForward-Looking Statements\nThe information in this press release contains forward-looking statements that\nare subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results\nto materially differ. These risks and uncertainties include: Assembly Bio’s\nability to realize the potential benefits of its collaboration with Gilead,\nincluding all financial aspects of the collaboration and equity investments;\nAssembly Bio’s ability to initiate and complete clinical studies involving\nits therapeutic product candidates, including studies contemplated by Assembly\nBio’s collaboration with Gilead, including studies conducted by Gilead, in\nthe currently anticipated timeframes or at all; safety and efficacy data from\nclinical or nonclinical studies may not warrant further development of product\ncandidates; clinical and nonclinical data may not differentiate product\ncandidates from other companies’ candidates; Assembly Bio’s ability to\nmaintain financial resources and secure additional funding necessary to\ncontinue its research activities, clinical studies, and other business\noperations; potential effects of changes in government regulation; results of\nnonclinical studies may not be representative of disease behavior in a\nclinical setting and may not be predictive of the outcomes of clinical\nstudies; and other risks identified from time to time in Assembly Bio’s\nreports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). You\nare urged to consider statements that include the words may, will, would,\ncould, should, might, believes, hopes, estimates, projects, potential,\nexpects, plans, anticipates, intends, continues, forecast, designed, goal or\nthe negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and\nforward-looking. Assembly Bio intends such forward-looking statements to be\ncovered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the\nSecurities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange\nAct of 1934, as amended. More information about Assembly Bio’s risks and\nuncertainties are more fully detailed under the heading “Risk Factors” in\nAssembly Bio’s filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report\non Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.\nExcept as required by law, Assembly Bio assumes no obligation to update\npublicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new\ninformation, future events or otherwise.\n\nContacts:\n\nInvestors:\nPatrick Till\nMeru Advisors\n(484) 788-8560\ninvestor_relations@assemblybio.com\n\nMedia:\nMike Beyer\nSam Brown LLC\n(312) 961-2502 \nASMBMedia@sambrown.com\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/33089548-b62b-412d-9343-ae38d8b720c6)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026","article_body_html":"","raw_payload":{"data":{"id":"nGNXc405s9-20261005","title":"Assembly Biosciences to Present Positive Phase 1a Safety, Tolerability and Target Engagement Data for ABI-6250 at AASLD The Liver Meeting® 2026","author":"Globe Newswire","ticker":"ASMB","created":"2026-10-05T14:00:00.193Z","tickers":["ASMB"],"exchange":"NASDAQ","article_body":"SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Oct. 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Assembly\nBiosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ASMB), a biotechnology company developing\ninnovative therapeutics targeting serious viral and liver diseases, today\nannounced that two posters featuring new Phase 1a data from its ABI-6250\nprogram will be presented at The Liver Meeting® 2026, the annual meeting of\nthe American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), taking place\nNovember 5-9, 2026, in Denver, Colorado.\n\n“The Phase 1a findings support ABI-6250’s safety profile and demonstrate\npotent target engagement, and we are pleased the pharmacodynamic analysis was\nrecognized as a Poster of Distinction,” said Anuj Gaggar, M.D., Ph.D., chief\nmedical officer of Assembly Bio. “We look forward to sharing these results\nwith the hepatology community as we prepare to advance ABI-6250 into Phase 2\nstudies in both chronic HDV infection and cholestatic liver diseases.”\n\nThe presentations will include safety, tolerability and pharmacodynamic\nfindings from the randomized, blinded Phase 1a study of ABI-6250 in healthy\nparticipants. ABI-6250 was well tolerated at the doses evaluated, with no\nserious adverse events reported, and demonstrated dose-dependent, reversible\nincreases in total and conjugated bile acids consistent with sodium\ntaurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) target engagement. The Phase\n1a findings support Assembly Bio’s plans to initiate Phase 2 studies in\npatients with chronic hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection in the fourth\nquarter of 2026 and in patients with cholestatic liver diseases, focused on\nprimary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), in\nthe first quarter of 2027.\n\nDetails of the presentations are as follows:\n\nPoster of Distinction Title: Oral NTCP Inhibitor ABI-6250 Elevates Bile Acids\nin a Randomized, Blinded, Phase 1a Study in Healthy Subjects\nPresenter: Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD, University of Auckland\nPublication Number: 3197\n* Session: Hepatitis – Other Infections\n* Date and Time: November 7, 2026; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT\nPoster Title: The Safety and Tolerability of ABI-6250, an Orally Administered\nNTCP Inhibitor in Healthy Participants\nPresenter: Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD, University of Auckland\nPublication Number: 3204\n* Session: Hepatitis – Other Infections\n* Date and Time: November 7, 2026; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. MT\nAssembly Bio intends to make the posters available on the “Events &\nPresentations” page in the “Investors” section and on the\n“Publications” page in the “Pipeline” section of its website at\nwww.assemblybio.com.\n\nAbout ABI-6250\nABI-6250 is an investigational oral small-molecule inhibitor of the sodium\ntaurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP), a membrane protein\nselectively expressed on hepatocytes that facilitates bile acid transport into\ncells and also serves as the receptor for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and\nhepatitis delta virus (HDV) to enter hepatocytes. Assembly Bio is developing\nABI-6250 for the treatment of chronic HDV infection, where the targeting of\nNTCP blocks viral infection and is a clinically validated mechanism. ABI-6250\nis also being evaluated in cholestatic liver diseases, such as primary biliary\ncholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), where bile acid\naccumulation in the liver drives liver inflammation and liver injury. The\ntargeting of NTCP by ABI-6250 blocks the uptake of bile acids into liver\ncells.\n\nAbout Assembly Biosciences \nAssembly Biosciences is a biotechnology company developing innovative\nsmall-molecule therapeutics aimed at advancing the treatment paradigm of\nserious viral and liver diseases and improving the lives of patients\nworldwide. Led by an accomplished leadership team in antiviral and liver\ndisease drug development, Assembly Bio is committed to improving outcomes for\npeople living with the chronic impacts of herpesvirus, hepatitis delta virus\n(HDV) infections, cholestatic liver diseases and hepatitis B virus (HBV). For\nmore information, visit assemblybio.com.\n\nForward-Looking Statements\nThe information in this press release contains forward-looking statements that\nare subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results\nto materially differ. These risks and uncertainties include: Assembly Bio’s\nability to realize the potential benefits of its collaboration with Gilead,\nincluding all financial aspects of the collaboration and equity investments;\nAssembly Bio’s ability to initiate and complete clinical studies involving\nits therapeutic product candidates, including studies contemplated by Assembly\nBio’s collaboration with Gilead, including studies conducted by Gilead, in\nthe currently anticipated timeframes or at all; safety and efficacy data from\nclinical or nonclinical studies may not warrant further development of product\ncandidates; clinical and nonclinical data may not differentiate product\ncandidates from other companies’ candidates; Assembly Bio’s ability to\nmaintain financial resources and secure additional funding necessary to\ncontinue its research activities, clinical studies, and other business\noperations; potential effects of changes in government regulation; results of\nnonclinical studies may not be representative of disease behavior in a\nclinical setting and may not be predictive of the outcomes of clinical\nstudies; and other risks identified from time to time in Assembly Bio’s\nreports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). You\nare urged to consider statements that include the words may, will, would,\ncould, should, might, believes, hopes, estimates, projects, potential,\nexpects, plans, anticipates, intends, continues, forecast, designed, goal or\nthe negative of those words or other comparable words to be uncertain and\nforward-looking. Assembly Bio intends such forward-looking statements to be\ncovered by the safe harbor provisions contained in Section 27A of the\nSecurities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange\nAct of 1934, as amended. More information about Assembly Bio’s risks and\nuncertainties are more fully detailed under the heading “Risk Factors” in\nAssembly Bio’s filings with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report\non Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.\nExcept as required by law, Assembly Bio assumes no obligation to update\npublicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new\ninformation, future events or otherwise.\n\nContacts:\n\nInvestors:\nPatrick Till\nMeru Advisors\n(484) 788-8560\ninvestor_relations@assemblybio.com\n\nMedia:\nMike Beyer\nSam Brown LLC\n(312) 961-2502 \nASMBMedia@sambrown.com\n\n(https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/33089548-b62b-412d-9343-ae38d8b720c6)\n\n\n\nGlobeNewswire, Inc. 2026"},"type":"article","timestamp":"2026-10-05T14:00:00.266168919Z","server_sent_at_ms":1791208800266},"received_at":"2026-10-05T14:00:00.317Z","source_url":null},"analysis":{"id":"149295","press_release_id":"160735","analysis_json":{"industry":{"label":"Biotechnology","sector":"Health Care"},"redFlags":[],"eventType":"clinical_trial","narrative":"Assembly Biosciences will present new Phase 1a data for its oral NTCP inhibitor ABI-6250 at AASLD's The Liver Meeting 2026, November 5-9 in Denver, with one poster named a Poster of Distinction.\n\nIn the randomized, blinded Phase 1a study, ABI-6250 was well tolerated with no serious adverse events and showed dose-dependent, reversible bile acid increases consistent with NTCP target engagement.\n\nThe company plans to initiate Phase 2 studies in chronic HDV infection in Q4 2026 and in cholestatic liver diseases (PBC and PSC) in Q1 2027.","sentiment":"bullish","agentHooks":{"shouldPost":false,"suggestedAngle":"Early-stage de-risking for ABI-6250 ahead of two Phase 2 starts in HDV and cholestatic disease."},"keyFigures":{"drugName":"ABI-6250","phaseOfTrial":"Phase 1a","customDimensions":{"hdv_phase2_start":"Q4 2026","cholestatic_phase2_start":"Q1 2027"}},"quotedText":"The Phase 1a findings support ABI-6250's safety profile and demonstrate potent target engagement, and we are pleased the pharmacodynamic analysis was recognized as a Poster of Distinction","namedEntities":{"people":[{"name":"Anuj Gaggar, M.D., Ph.D.","role":"Chief Medical Officer, Assembly Bio"},{"name":"Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD","role":"poster presenter, University of Auckland"},{"name":"Patrick Till","role":"investor relations contact, Meru Advisors"},{"name":"Mike Beyer","role":"media contact, Sam Brown LLC"}],"products":["ABI-6250"],"companies":[{"name":"Assembly Biosciences, Inc.","ticker":"ASMB","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"Gilead","relationship":"collaboration partner"},{"name":"American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)","relationship":"conference host"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"materialImpact":{"score":2,"reasoning":"Positive Phase 1a safety/tolerability and target-engagement data for ABI-6250 is an encouraging early-stage milestone supporting Phase 2 initiation, but it is not a pivotal or binary event and no new financial figures were disclosed."},"tickerRelevance":{"others":[],"primary":"ASMB"},"globalImportance":22,"audienceRelevance":18,"eventTypeSecondary":[],"importanceComponents":{"eventStage":"phase-1a","tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"early-stage clinical data poster","retailFavoriteBoost":false}},"event_type":"clinical_trial","event_type_secondary":null,"sentiment":"bullish","material_impact_score":2,"narrative":"Assembly Biosciences will present new Phase 1a data for its oral NTCP inhibitor ABI-6250 at AASLD's The Liver Meeting 2026, November 5-9 in Denver, with one poster named a Poster of Distinction.\n\nIn the randomized, blinded Phase 1a study, ABI-6250 was well tolerated with no serious adverse events and showed dose-dependent, reversible bile acid increases consistent with NTCP target engagement.\n\nThe company plans to initiate Phase 2 studies in chronic HDV infection in Q4 2026 and in cholestatic liver diseases (PBC and PSC) in Q1 2027.","key_figures":{"drugName":"ABI-6250","phaseOfTrial":"Phase 1a","customDimensions":{"hdv_phase2_start":"Q4 2026","cholestatic_phase2_start":"Q1 2027"}},"named_entities":{"people":[{"name":"Anuj Gaggar, M.D., Ph.D.","role":"Chief Medical Officer, Assembly Bio"},{"name":"Edward J. Gane, MD, FAASLD","role":"poster presenter, University of Auckland"},{"name":"Patrick Till","role":"investor relations contact, Meru Advisors"},{"name":"Mike Beyer","role":"media contact, Sam Brown LLC"}],"products":["ABI-6250"],"companies":[{"name":"Assembly Biosciences, Inc.","ticker":"ASMB","relationship":"filer"},{"name":"Gilead","relationship":"collaboration partner"},{"name":"American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)","relationship":"conference host"}],"dollarAmounts":[]},"model_name":"glm-5.3-flashx","prompt_hash":"sha256:727b4b9429a443af","schema_hash":"sha256:05005c02d9cffac9","created_at":"2026-10-05T14:00:06.171Z","global_importance":22,"audience_relevance":18,"importance_components":{"eventStage":"phase-1a","tickerTier":"small-cap","eventGravity":"early-stage clinical data poster","retailFavoriteBoost":false}},"durationMs":5849,"modelName":"glm-5.3-flashx"}}