Schering-Plough has said that its drug for hepatitis B, Pegintron, has been approved in China where the disease is one of country's leading causes of death.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Pegintron is administered once weekly at an individualized dose according to a patient’s weight and is the only pegylated interferon indicated in China for a 24 week treatment duration in the hepatitis B patient population.
The approval is based in part on a clinical trial in hepatitis B patients in China showing that Pegintron achieved a sustained response with 24 weeks of therapy when used as a first-line treatment. Pegintron has been available in China since 2004 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C.
“Schering-Plough is pleased to offer this effective new treatment option for Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis B, a major public health problem in China,” said Robert Spiegel, chief medical officer, Schering-Plough Research Institute.
Schering-Plough has been working together with Chinese healthcare professionals and patients for nearly 15 years on hepatitis B education for Intron A, which was approved in China in 1993.