The phase Ia trial will assess safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and food affect in a single ascending dose study. InterMune expects to dose the first patient with ITMN-191 sometime in early January 2007.
“Our preclinical research indicates ITMN-191 has the potential to be an important addition to therapy for HCV patients because of its favorable cross resistance and potency profiles, as well as pharmacokinetic results that support the exploration of twice-daily oral dosing in future clinical trials,” said Lawrence Blatt, chief scientific officer of InterMune.
ITMN-191 is an attractive drug target because of its potential involvement in viral replication and suppressive effects on host response to viral infection. Inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus protease, such as ITMN-191, represent a promising new class of drugs for this disease.