CytoPharm, the company’s partner in Taiwan, will fund and conduct a clinical trial of 165 chronic hepatitis C patients in Taiwan. The patients will receive one of two different dosages of oral human interferon alpha or placebo.
The aim of the trial is to reduce the relapse rate for those patients who have completed the standard combination therapy, consisting of high dose injectable interferon alpha and Ribavirin given orally. The trial is expected to start in the second quarter of 2009 and to be completed in 2010.
In addition to studies on hepatitis C, under the terms of the licensing and supply agreement, CytoPharm will be testing oral interferon in human studies of chronic active hepatitis B and influenza.