Vertex hepatitis C drug meets study goal

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Vertex hepatitis C drug meets study goal

Associated Press 08.01.08, 9:20 AM ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said late Thursday its hepatitis

C drug candidate telaprevir was both safe and prompted a response in patients

during a midstage study.

Interim results from a Phase IIa clinical trial showed that twice-daily and

three-times-daily doses of telaprevir in combination with standard hepatitis C

treatments were effective in prompting a response. More than 80 percent of 160

patients had undetectable levels of hepatitis C after four-week and 12-week

periods.

A complete analysis will be performed upon the conclusion of this study in 2009,

the company said.