Telaprevir combined with older anti-viral treatments peginterferon and ribavirin cured 93 percent to 100 percent of patients with hepatitis C genotype 1 after 48 weeks of treatment, according to Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson. The results were unveiled at the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna.
"The majority of genotype 1 patients who undergo their first regimen of pegylated-interferon and ribavirin fail to achieve SVR and are left with few options for subsequent re-treatment of their disease," says Thomas Berg, Medical Development, Hepatology Section, University Clinic, Leipzig, Germany. "Treatment with telaprevir-based regimens in Study 107 resulted in an overall SVR rate of 59 percent across all patients enrolled in the study, with 56 percent of the most difficult-to-treat null responder patients achieving SVR with a 48-week telaprevir-based regimen." Results from a separate Phase III trial of the drug are expected in the third quarter of this year.
- here's Vertex's release
- read this report for more
ALSO: Vertex paid its new CEO Matthew Emmens $19.3 million in his first year on the job. Emmens replaced long-time company CEO and founder Joshua Boger last year. Story