RO6864018

RO6864018 is an oral small molecule prodrug developed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. It acts as a toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) agonist and is designed to stimulate the innate immune response by upregulating interferons and interferon-stimulated gene products. After administration, RO6864018 is rapidly converted first to RO6870868 by nonspecific esterases, then to the active TLR7-specific agonist RO6871765 via aldehyde oxidase. The drug has been evaluated in healthy volunteers and patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, showing acceptable safety and tolerability profiles along with pharmacodynamic evidence of TLR7 activation[2][5][7]. Its primary indication under investigation has been chronic hepatitis B.