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news.Schering-Plough's investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor capsule, SCH 503034, demonstrated potent antiviral activity and was well-tolerated in a phase I trial of the drug in patients with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 who had not responded to previous therapy for their condition.
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SCH 503034 was shown to have potential in treating the disease both on its own and in combination with Peg-Intron (peginterferon alfa-2b).
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 is the most common form of the virus worldwide and is considered the most difficult to treat successfully. Currently, there are no products approved for treating HCV patients who failed previous therapies, representing an area of great unmet medical need.
Chronic hepatitis C affects more than 10 million people in major world markets and is the leading cause of chronic liver disease.
“These early results are important because they show protease inhibitor SCH 503034 exhibits a potent and direct antiviral effect on HCV genotype 1,” said Professor Stefan Zeuzem, Saarland University, Homburg, Germany. “This promising oral antiviral agent may point the way to future HCV treatment regimens that are more effective, less toxic and shorter in duration.”
The results from the trial were presented by Professor Zeuzem at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.