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Bioenvision moves hepatitis agent into phase II

Bioenvision has begun patient enrollment in a multi-center, international phase II clinical trial to evaluate the clinical efficacy of Virostat for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.

The investigator-sponsored trial is being conducted at specialist centers in Europe and Egypt, which contains the highest prevalence of hepatitis C in the world. It will assess the ability of Virostat to reduce viral load and improve quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

“This begins a new phase of development for Bioenvision, and we look forward to the opportunity to build value in our non-cancer related franchises,” said Dr Chris Wood, chairman and CEO of Bioenvision. “Current therapies for hepatitis C are costly and not always effective. We hope to offer an alternative in the fight against this epidemic.”

Virostat has shown potent viricidal activity in vitro, proving effective against viruses such as HIV and West Nile Virus in laboratory tests. Bioenvision, which usually focuses on cancer compounds and technologies, obtained global license rights to develop and market Virostat for anti-viral indications from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF).