Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Alios BioPharma have released positive results from viral kinetic study of the nucleotide analogue ALS-2200, used to treat hepatitis C.
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According to the study, ALS-2200 was well-tolerated and there was a median 4.54 log10 reduction in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C after seven days of dosing with 200 mg of ALS-2200 once daily.
Based on the data, Vertex is also planning to conduct a study to evaluate ALS-2200 in combination with INCIVEK (telaprevir), the company’s approved protease inhibitor for people with genotype 1 hepatitis C, and a study of ALS-2200 in combination with ribavirin.
Vertex senior vice president and chief medical officer Robert Kauffman said Vertex is encouraged by the substantial, rapid and consistent viral decline and initial safety results from the study, which make ALS-2200 a promising part of Vertex’s hepatitis C pipeline.
"ALS-2200, with its high level of antiviral activity, gives us flexibility to explore several combinations of all-oral treatment regimens for hepatitis C,” Kauffman added.
Alios BioPharma founder, president and CEO Lawrence Blatt said, "We look forward to continued collaboration with Vertex and to the start of multiple Phase 2 studies of ALS-2200 later this year."