- Canadian POWeR and REDIPEN(R) Programs presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases Annual Meeting -
Results from two significant Canadian studies underscore the growing scientific evidence of PEGETRON's positive outcomes in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Canadian investigators across the country collaborated to generate and analyze clinical data from the Canadian PEGETRON POWeR (Prospective Optimal Weight-based Dosing Response) and REDIPEN programs, which were presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Annual Meeting in Boston on November 1, 2009.
The first abstract, Determinants of Virologic Relapse Following Hepatitis C antiviral Therapy: Analysis of the Canadian POWeR Program reports Genotype 1 (G1)-infected patients treated with peginterferon alfa-2b plus weight-based ribavirin (PEGETRON) across 138 Canadian centres, achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR) rate of 39 per cent, consistent with the 40 per cent SVR attained with approved peginterferon alfa-2B/ribavirin (PEGETRON) therapy in the recent United States-based IDEAL Study. In addition, the relapse rate of G1-infected subjects in POWeR was 25 per cent, similar to the 24 per cent reported in the IDEAL Study.