UNITED STATES: New Drug Shows Promise for Hepatitis C

[Guest guest]

CDC 12/16/08

UNITED STATES: " New Drug Shows Promise for Hepatitis C "

Reuters (11.04.08):: Martha Kerr

At the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases, a team of researchers said the investigational hepatitis C drug

boceprevir appears to provide response rates that are nearly double those seen

with current treatments.

" The high response rates seen with boceprevir in this study are very exciting,

especially given that [the type of virus studied], genotype 1, is the most

common and hardest to treat form of hepatitis C, " said Dr. Kwo of Indiana

University, who led the HCV SPRINT-1 trial.

For the study, 595 hepatitis C-infected patients were randomly assigned to one

of five treatment regimens featuring standard drugs (interferon and ribavirin)

alone or combined with boceprevir. Patients who received only standard therapy

had a response rate of 38 percent. By comparison, those who received standard

therapy for four weeks, with boceprevir added for an additional 44 weeks had a

response rate of 74 percent.

Kwo noted the side effects with the triple therapy " are not different " from

ribavirin and interferon alone.

The rapid response achieved using triple therapy makes patients want to continue

with treatment, Kwo said, " and we can begin using the word 'cure' in these

patients. " This is key because " patients are motivated to continue with therapy,

to adhere to treatment, if they know they can be cured within 48 weeks, " he

said.

" We might even be able to change the outcome [of hepatitis C infection] with

successful treatment, " said Kwo. " We've seen a dramatic reversal of fibrosis and

in some cases a reversal of cirrhosis. "

[Guest guest]

CDC 12/16/08

UNITED STATES: " New Drug Shows Promise for Hepatitis C "

Reuters (11.04.08):: Martha Kerr

At the recent annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases, a team of researchers said the investigational hepatitis C drug

boceprevir appears to provide response rates that are nearly double those seen

with current treatments.

" The high response rates seen with boceprevir in this study are very exciting,

especially given that [the type of virus studied], genotype 1, is the most

common and hardest to treat form of hepatitis C, " said Dr. Kwo of Indiana

University, who led the HCV SPRINT-1 trial.

For the study, 595 hepatitis C-infected patients were randomly assigned to one

of five treatment regimens featuring standard drugs (interferon and ribavirin)

alone or combined with boceprevir. Patients who received only standard therapy

had a response rate of 38 percent. By comparison, those who received standard

therapy for four weeks, with boceprevir added for an additional 44 weeks had a

response rate of 74 percent.

Kwo noted the side effects with the triple therapy " are not different " from

ribavirin and interferon alone.

The rapid response achieved using triple therapy makes patients want to continue

with treatment, Kwo said, " and we can begin using the word 'cure' in these

patients. " This is key because " patients are motivated to continue with therapy,

to adhere to treatment, if they know they can be cured within 48 weeks, " he

said.

" We might even be able to change the outcome [of hepatitis C infection] with

successful treatment, " said Kwo. " We've seen a dramatic reversal of fibrosis and

in some cases a reversal of cirrhosis. "