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.

Dynavax Technologies to present data on its SD-101 Phase 1b trial for chronic HCV infection

Dynavax Technologies Corporation announced today data from two studies that differentiate SD-101 from standard-of-care as well as emerging treatments for chronic HCV infection. The findings of a Phase 1b clinical trial and an in vitro study of SD-101's mechanism of action show that the second-generation TLR9 agonist is well tolerated and safe and induces both IFN-lambda and IFN-alpha at concentrations producing antiviral activity. The data will be presented at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria in April 2010.

27 Jan 2010

Institute of Medicine urges healthcare providers to take steps to battle hepatitis B and C

The Institute of Medicine, a branch of the US National Academy of Sciences, is urging healthcare providers to take steps to battle liver-damaging hepatitis B and C, which are often overlooked viruses.

25 Jan 2010

Progress in Anadys Pharmaceuticals' Phase II study of ANA598 announced

Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that ANA598 dosing has been completed in the first dose cohort, 200 mg bid, in an ongoing Phase II study of ANA598 in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (SOC) in HCV patients.

22 Jan 2010

Pharmasset commences PSI-7977 Phase 2a trial for HCV

Pharmasset, Inc. today announces the initiation of a 28-day Phase 2a study with PSI-7977, a chirally pure isomer form of PSI-7851, a nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitor in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (HCV). The trial will evaluate various doses of PSI-7977 in combination with Pegasys (peginterferon alfa 2a) and Copegus (ribavirin) in patients with HCV genotype 1 who have not been treated previously.

21 Jan 2010

Telaprevir effective in HCV patients

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that data from recent clinical trials suggest that Vertex/Johnson & Johnson/Mitsubishi Tanabe's telaprevir is efficacious in hepatitis C virus patients who have not responded to previous treatment with peg-IFN/ribavirin. In contrast, the efficacy of Merck's (formerly Schering-Plough) boceprevir in treatment nonresponders has yet to be proven.

20 Jan 2010

U.S. gastroenterologists to treat hepatitis C patients with telaprevir

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that U.S. gastroenterologists will treat a larger proportion of treatment nonresponder hepatitis C patients with Vertex/Tibotec/Mitsubishi Tanabe's telaprevir than Merck's boceprevir.

20 Jan 2010

Treatment for chronic hepatitis C with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin proves effective

The current standard treatment for chronic hepatitis C with pegylated-interferon (PEG-IFN) and ribavirin is effective in approximately 50%-60% of patients, so that a substantial proportion of patients remain unresponsive.

18 Jan 2010

Studies show treatment success for chronic hepatitis C may be predicted by rapid virological response

The likelihood of treatment success of 48 wk peg-interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy for chronic hepatitis C may be predicted by viral kinetics on therapy. In particular, recent studies have shown that sustained virological response (SVR) can be predicted by a rapid virological response (RVR), and an early virological response (EVR).

17 Jan 2010

HGS reports commercialization of late-stage products for systemic lupus and chronic hepatitis C

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today will announce its priority goals for 2010 and report on the Company’s increasing momentum toward commercialization of late-stage products for systemic lupus and chronic hepatitis C in a presentation by H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, to financial analysts and investors at the 28th Annual JPMorgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco.

12 Jan 2010

Idenix Pharmaceuticals announces significant progress in HCV development programs

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, today announced significant progress in three HCV programs

12 Jan 2010

Vertex Pharmaceuticals plans proof-of-concept clinical trials in RA and epilepsy

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today provided an update on key 2010 business priorities in conjunction with the 28th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. The company also discussed recent progress in its lead development programs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and cystic fibrosis (CF) and outlined proof-of-concept clinical trials planned in other serious diseases for 2010.

11 Jan 2010

Quercetin may prevent hepatitis C infection; findings may lead to less toxic treatments

Researchers have identified two cellular proteins that are important factors in hepatitis C virus infection, a finding that may result in the approval of new and less toxic treatments for the disease, which can lead to liver cancer and cirrhosis.

6 Jan 2010

Peginterferon alpha-2a yields better results in treating patients with chronic hepatitis C

In patients with chronic hepatitis C, treatment with peginterferon alpha-2a (PegIFNα2a) plus ribavirin (RBV) better suppresses the virus to undetectable levels in the blood than treatment with peginterferon alpha-2b (PegIFNα2b) plus RBV, according to two new head-to-head studies in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

5 Jan 2010

Positive interim results from Idera Pharmaceuticals' IMO-2125 Phase 1 clinical trial for HCV

Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive interim results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of IMO-2125 in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). IMO-2125 is an agonist of Toll-like Receptor 9 that Idera designed to treat HCV by inducing endogenous interferon-alpha and other Th1-type cytokines and chemokines.

21 Dec 2009

Flamel Technologies initiates IFN-alpha-2b XL Phase 2a clinical trial for HCV

Flamel Technologies today announced the initiation of a Phase 2a clinical trial of Flamel’s Interferon alpha-2b XL (IFN-alpha-2b XL), which is based on Flamel’s Medusa® platform for controlled release of biologics. IFN-alpha-2b XL is being developed as a controlled release of unmodified interferon alpha-2b for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV).

18 Dec 2009

Anadys Pharmaceuticals reports positive 4-week results from its ANA598 Phase II study for HCV

Anadys Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced preliminary results from a planned interim analysis of data at four weeks for the first dose cohort, 200 mg bid, in an ongoing Phase II study of ANA598 in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin (SOC) in HCV patients.

17 Dec 2009

Novartis submits JOULFERON MAA to the EMEA

Human Genome Sciences, Inc. today announced that Novartis has submitted a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for approval to market JOULFERON® (albinterferon alfa-2b, known in the United States as ZALBIN™) for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C. In November 2009, HGS submitted a Biologics License Application (BLA) for ZALBIN to the FDA in the United States.

15 Dec 2009

New SPC3649 drug found effective in treating HCV infections

In a dramatic finding, a new drug for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections that targets liver cells produced a substantial drop in blood levels of the virus in animals and continued to work up to several months after treatment, say scientists at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in San Antonio.

4 Dec 2009

Santaris Pharma's LNA technology based microRNA-targeted therapy holds promise for HCV

A study published online in this week's Science shows that SPC3649, a breakthrough microRNA-targeted therapy developed by Santaris Pharma A/S using its proprietary Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) technology, holds promise as a novel treatment for patients infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).