The drug produced disappointing results in one study but in another ongoing a study the data was more encouraging.
One study showed that when valopicitabine was combined with pegylated interferon the therapy worked no better then the current standard of care ribavirin. Of patients treated with valopicitabine in combination with pegylated interferon, none achieved a sustained virologic response, compared to one patient retreated with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
The primary endpoint of the other study was sustained virologic response, defined as maintained viral clearance six months after treatment is stopped. At the end of the treatment period, 53% of patients treated with 200 mg/day valopicitabine plus pegylated interferon achieved undetectable HCV levels.
Idenix said that the treatment still holds promise. The company believes the data warrant further studies to assess if the addition of ribavirin and potentially another investigational agent to this treatment regimen could offer some of the patients a viable treatment option.