Drugs May Transform Hepatitis C Treatment

[Guest guest]

CDC 04-01-11

GLOBAL: " Drugs May Transform Hepatitis C Treatment "

Los Angeles Times (03.31.11):: H. Maugh II

Two experimental therapies could revolutionize hepatitis C virus (HCV)

treatment, experts said Wednesday. The new drugs also reportedly reduce

disparities in treatment response rates between black HCV patients and white HCV

patients.

The new drugs, boceprevir and telaprevir, both work by blocking an enzyme HCV

needs for replication. They nearly doubled the odds of achieving sustained viral

response among treatment-naïve HCV patients, and they tripled the odds of SVR

among patients who had failed to respond to treatment or suffered a relapse. The

Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve both drugs in May. " Once

these drugs are available, doctors are going to be overwhelmed " by patients

requesting treatment, predicted Dr. Koff, a Hepatitis Foundation

International board member.

The most difficult-to-treat form of HCV is also the most common - genotype 1.

Conventional therapy of peginterferon and ribavirin has a response rate of about

50 percent.

In a study of 1,097 treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype 1, all were given

standard therapy for the first four weeks. One-third then continued on that

treatment, while two-thirds were given standard therapy in combination with

different regimens of boceprevir. The boceprevir arms had SVRs of 63 percent and

66 percent, compared with 38 percent SVR for conventional treatment. In a second

study involving 403 patients who had failed therapy or experienced a relapse,

the boceprevir arms achieved 59 percent and 66 percent SVRs, compared with 21

percent on standard therapy.

Similar results for telaprevir were expected to be presented Thursday at a

gathering of liver researchers in Berlin.

The two boceprevir studies, " Boceprevir for Untreated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection " and " Boceprevir for Previously Treated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection, " were published in the New England Journal of Medicine

(2011;364:1195-1206 and 1207-1217, respectively).

[Guest guest]

CDC 04-01-11

GLOBAL: " Drugs May Transform Hepatitis C Treatment "

Los Angeles Times (03.31.11):: H. Maugh II

Two experimental therapies could revolutionize hepatitis C virus (HCV)

treatment, experts said Wednesday. The new drugs also reportedly reduce

disparities in treatment response rates between black HCV patients and white HCV

patients.

The new drugs, boceprevir and telaprevir, both work by blocking an enzyme HCV

needs for replication. They nearly doubled the odds of achieving sustained viral

response among treatment-naïve HCV patients, and they tripled the odds of SVR

among patients who had failed to respond to treatment or suffered a relapse. The

Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve both drugs in May. " Once

these drugs are available, doctors are going to be overwhelmed " by patients

requesting treatment, predicted Dr. Koff, a Hepatitis Foundation

International board member.

The most difficult-to-treat form of HCV is also the most common - genotype 1.

Conventional therapy of peginterferon and ribavirin has a response rate of about

50 percent.

In a study of 1,097 treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype 1, all were given

standard therapy for the first four weeks. One-third then continued on that

treatment, while two-thirds were given standard therapy in combination with

different regimens of boceprevir. The boceprevir arms had SVRs of 63 percent and

66 percent, compared with 38 percent SVR for conventional treatment. In a second

study involving 403 patients who had failed therapy or experienced a relapse,

the boceprevir arms achieved 59 percent and 66 percent SVRs, compared with 21

percent on standard therapy.

Similar results for telaprevir were expected to be presented Thursday at a

gathering of liver researchers in Berlin.

The two boceprevir studies, " Boceprevir for Untreated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection " and " Boceprevir for Previously Treated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection, " were published in the New England Journal of Medicine

(2011;364:1195-1206 and 1207-1217, respectively).

[Guest guest]

CDC 04-01-11

GLOBAL: " Drugs May Transform Hepatitis C Treatment "

Los Angeles Times (03.31.11):: H. Maugh II

Two experimental therapies could revolutionize hepatitis C virus (HCV)

treatment, experts said Wednesday. The new drugs also reportedly reduce

disparities in treatment response rates between black HCV patients and white HCV

patients.

The new drugs, boceprevir and telaprevir, both work by blocking an enzyme HCV

needs for replication. They nearly doubled the odds of achieving sustained viral

response among treatment-naïve HCV patients, and they tripled the odds of SVR

among patients who had failed to respond to treatment or suffered a relapse. The

Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve both drugs in May. " Once

these drugs are available, doctors are going to be overwhelmed " by patients

requesting treatment, predicted Dr. Koff, a Hepatitis Foundation

International board member.

The most difficult-to-treat form of HCV is also the most common - genotype 1.

Conventional therapy of peginterferon and ribavirin has a response rate of about

50 percent.

In a study of 1,097 treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype 1, all were given

standard therapy for the first four weeks. One-third then continued on that

treatment, while two-thirds were given standard therapy in combination with

different regimens of boceprevir. The boceprevir arms had SVRs of 63 percent and

66 percent, compared with 38 percent SVR for conventional treatment. In a second

study involving 403 patients who had failed therapy or experienced a relapse,

the boceprevir arms achieved 59 percent and 66 percent SVRs, compared with 21

percent on standard therapy.

Similar results for telaprevir were expected to be presented Thursday at a

gathering of liver researchers in Berlin.

The two boceprevir studies, " Boceprevir for Untreated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection " and " Boceprevir for Previously Treated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection, " were published in the New England Journal of Medicine

(2011;364:1195-1206 and 1207-1217, respectively).

[Guest guest]

CDC 04-01-11

GLOBAL: " Drugs May Transform Hepatitis C Treatment "

Los Angeles Times (03.31.11):: H. Maugh II

Two experimental therapies could revolutionize hepatitis C virus (HCV)

treatment, experts said Wednesday. The new drugs also reportedly reduce

disparities in treatment response rates between black HCV patients and white HCV

patients.

The new drugs, boceprevir and telaprevir, both work by blocking an enzyme HCV

needs for replication. They nearly doubled the odds of achieving sustained viral

response among treatment-naïve HCV patients, and they tripled the odds of SVR

among patients who had failed to respond to treatment or suffered a relapse. The

Food and Drug Administration is expected to approve both drugs in May. " Once

these drugs are available, doctors are going to be overwhelmed " by patients

requesting treatment, predicted Dr. Koff, a Hepatitis Foundation

International board member.

The most difficult-to-treat form of HCV is also the most common - genotype 1.

Conventional therapy of peginterferon and ribavirin has a response rate of about

50 percent.

In a study of 1,097 treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype 1, all were given

standard therapy for the first four weeks. One-third then continued on that

treatment, while two-thirds were given standard therapy in combination with

different regimens of boceprevir. The boceprevir arms had SVRs of 63 percent and

66 percent, compared with 38 percent SVR for conventional treatment. In a second

study involving 403 patients who had failed therapy or experienced a relapse,

the boceprevir arms achieved 59 percent and 66 percent SVRs, compared with 21

percent on standard therapy.

Similar results for telaprevir were expected to be presented Thursday at a

gathering of liver researchers in Berlin.

The two boceprevir studies, " Boceprevir for Untreated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection " and " Boceprevir for Previously Treated Chronic HCV Genotype 1

Infection, " were published in the New England Journal of Medicine

(2011;364:1195-1206 and 1207-1217, respectively).