Ribavirin News and Research

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Ribavirin, also known as Copegus, Rebetol, Virazole, or a component of Rebetron, is a type of antiviral medicine called a nucleoside analogue. This medicine blocks the ability of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to make more copies of itself. Ribavirin is not active against HIV. Ribavirin is used in combination with interferon alfa-2a or -2b or peginterferon alfa-2a or -2b to treat HIV infected patients who are also infected with HCV.

Merck signs non-exclusive license agreement with LabCorp for commercialization of genetic test

Merck announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings for the commercialization of a genetic test that may help predict the response of patients with Hepatitis C virus infection to peginterferon alpha-based therapy.

28 Jul 2010

Singapore hepatitis C therapeutics market revenue to increase to $4.5 billion by 2017

The Singaporean government's emphasis on raising awareness on the benefit of frequent health check-ups have significantly raised the number of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) diagnosed cases in the country, expanding the patient pool. Therapeutics companies have a challenging task ahead for improving treatment for this market as current treatment requires high dosage frequency, but potentially has serious side effects.

27 Jul 2010

Idenix second-quarter total revenues decrease to $1.3 million

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today reported unaudited financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2010. At June 30, 2010, Idenix's cash and cash equivalents totaled $51.0 million.

27 Jul 2010

Can-Fite's CF102 decreases HCV viral load in liver cancer patients

Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd, a biotechnology company traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange reported today that a significant decrease in HCV viral load was detected in 3 patients with liver cancer who are treated daily orally with CF102. The company is studying CF102 as a treatment for liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma, or HCC). The results announced today relate to data which came out of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of CF102 in the treatment of patients with advanced HCC.

26 Jul 2010

Achillion nominates ACH-2928 NS5A clinical candidate for treatment of HCV

Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of treatments for the most challenging infectious diseases, today announced the nomination of a lead clinical candidate in its fourth proprietary program against hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The candidate, ACH-2928, is an NS5A inhibitor that in preclinical studies has demonstrated excellent potency against HCV RNA replication, as well as good pharmacokinetic and safety profiles.

22 Jul 2010

Depressive symptoms in patients with HCV infection overlooked

Researchers from Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland (the NORDynamIC project group) have observed that depressive symptoms in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are commonly overlooked in routine clinical interviews, and that treatment-induced depression compromises the outcome of HCV therapy. A second U.S. study found that patients with chronic infection had lower (work) productivity and incurred higher medical benefit costs than those without HCV.

21 Jul 2010

New drug launches for HCV in the Philippines to increase market earned revenues to $4.5 billion by 2017

Efforts to raise disease awareness in the Philippines have increased the number of cases and patient pool available for hepatitis C treatment. Screening and detection efforts by the Red Cross as well as growing awareness in the Philippines have been largely responsible for the rise in the number of diagnosed cases. These campaigns have encouraged people, mostly from the urban areas, to opt for physical examinations that enable the detection of hepatitis C.

15 Jul 2010

Presidio Pharmaceuticals completes Phase 1a clinical trial of PPI-461 in healthy subjects

Presidio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the successful completion of a Phase 1a clinical trial of PPI-461, its lead HCV NS5A inhibitor, in healthy subjects. This first-in-human trial evaluated four single doses of PPI-461, followed by a five-day, once-a-day treatment regimen with PPI-461 at the highest tested dose.

14 Jul 2010

Medivir reports 24-week interim Phase 2b results of TMC435 in treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype-1

Medivir announced today 24-week end-of-treatment interim results from the 5-arm phase 2b response guided PILLAR study in 386 treatment-naïve patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype-1 (TMC435-C205).

12 Jul 2010

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals receives FDA expanded labeling for INFERGEN

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC, today received expanded labeling from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include daily use of INFERGEN (Consensus Interferon) in combination with ribavirin (RBV) for retreatment of chronic hepatitis C patients. The expanded labeling targets hepatitis C patients who need retreatment.

6 Jul 2010

90% of HCV patients to be treated with triple therapy regimens, finds Decision Resources

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, based on clinical profiles provided to them, surveyed clinicians estimate that one year after the launch of Vertex Pharmaceuticals/Johnson & Johnson/Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma's telaprevir and Merck's boceprevir, at least 90 percent of hepatitis C virus patients will be treated with triple therapy regimens.

18 Jun 2010

Study evaluates effect of Viusid on oxidative stress, cytokine parameters in patients with CHC

The pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis C is associated with severe oxidative stress and non-selective immunological disturbance that lead to necroinflammation and the progression of fibrosis. Several trials have suggested that antioxidant and immunostimulant therapies may have a beneficial effect. Two previous clinical studies have reported that the Viusid related effect on histologic features, especially fibrosis, appears to be associated with antioxidant and/or immunomodulatory properties.

18 Jun 2010

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

A small genetic change can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment, paving the way to personalised therapy for this difficult to treat disease, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Sunday 13 June). Dr. Zoltan Kutalik, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Lausanne, Switzerland, will tell delegates that individuals with this change, in a gene encoding for the antiviral cytokine (cell-signalling molecule) interferon lamda, reacts less well to treatment.

14 Jun 2010

Idenix initiates IDX320 proof-of-concept study for HCV infection

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced that it has initiated a 3-day proof-of-concept study of IDX320, a protease inhibitor for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, under a Clinical Trial Application (CTA). The study is evaluating IDX320 in treatment-naive hepatitis C genotype 1-infected patients.

10 Jun 2010

Interim results from PROPEL study of RG7128 submitted as abstract to AASLD for Annual Liver Meeting

Pharmasset, Inc. announced today that the interim results from the PROPEL study conducted by its partner Roche demonstrate that RG7128 triple combination therapy was safe and well tolerated. In that study, the safety profile of RG7128 (1000mg BID or 500mg BID), when administered for 8 or 12 weeks with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a) and Copegus (ribavirin), the standard of care, was similar to the safety profile of SOC alone.

9 Jun 2010

ZymoGenetics commences Phase 2B study of PEG-Interferon lambda in hepatitis C

ZymoGenetics, Inc. today announced the initiation of the second part of a Phase 2 clinical trial with PEG-Interferon lambda (IL-29) and ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. ZymoGenetics is developing the investigational compound PEG-Interferon lambda in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

2 Jun 2010

New treatment benefits patients with advanced liver disease due to HCV infection: Researchers

Researchers at the UCLA Medical Center found that antiviral therapy during compensated cirrhosis, when compared with all other strategies, is the most cost-effective approach to treating patients with advanced liver disease due to hepatitis C infection. Full details appear in the June issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

28 May 2010

Presidio Pharmaceuticals to advance PPI-1301 inhibitor from HCV NS5A program into clinical development

Presidio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they have selected a second clinical candidate, PPI-1301, from their hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS5A program for advancement into clinical development. Presidio's first NS5A inhibitor, PPI-461, is currently undergoing evaluation in a Phase 1a clinical study.

26 May 2010

Antiviral treatment, SVR prevent esophageal varices in patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis

Italian researchers have discovered that antiviral treatment and sustained virologic response prevents esophageal varices in patients with compensated hepatitis C -induced cirrhosis, indicating that endoscopic surveillance can be safely delayed or avoided in these patients. Full findings are published in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

26 May 2010

Vertex reports 75% patients with HCV achieve viral cure with 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that 75% of people chronically infected with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus (HCV) who had not previously been treated achieved a sustained viral response (SVR or viral cure) after receiving a 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen, followed by treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone, in the Phase 3 ADVANCE trial.

26 May 2010

Ribavirin News and Research

Further Reading

Merck signs non-exclusive license agreement with LabCorp for commercialization of genetic test

Singapore hepatitis C therapeutics market revenue to increase to $4.5 billion by 2017

Idenix second-quarter total revenues decrease to $1.3 million

Can-Fite's CF102 decreases HCV viral load in liver cancer patients

Achillion nominates ACH-2928 NS5A clinical candidate for treatment of HCV

Depressive symptoms in patients with HCV infection overlooked

New drug launches for HCV in the Philippines to increase market earned revenues to $4.5 billion by 2017

Presidio Pharmaceuticals completes Phase 1a clinical trial of PPI-461 in healthy subjects

Medivir reports 24-week interim Phase 2b results of TMC435 in treatment-naïve patients with HCV genotype-1

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals receives FDA expanded labeling for INFERGEN

90% of HCV patients to be treated with triple therapy regimens, finds Decision Resources

Study evaluates effect of Viusid on oxidative stress, cytokine parameters in patients with CHC

Genetic variation can predict how people infected with hepatitis C react to treatment: Scientists

Idenix initiates IDX320 proof-of-concept study for HCV infection

Interim results from PROPEL study of RG7128 submitted as abstract to AASLD for Annual Liver Meeting

ZymoGenetics commences Phase 2B study of PEG-Interferon lambda in hepatitis C

New treatment benefits patients with advanced liver disease due to HCV infection: Researchers

Presidio Pharmaceuticals to advance PPI-1301 inhibitor from HCV NS5A program into clinical development

Antiviral treatment, SVR prevent esophageal varices in patients with HCV-induced cirrhosis

Vertex reports 75% patients with HCV achieve viral cure with 12-week telaprevir-based combination regimen

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