The interim results demonstrate that all Albuferon treatment groups consistently performed favorably compared to the pegylated interferon alpha treatment group, based on patient-reported disability days and health-related quality of life.
“Health-related quality-of-life issues, including lost days of work and normal activity, pose a significant challenge for patients undergoing treatment for chronic hepatitis C,” said Stephen Pianko, associate professor of medicine, Monash University in Australia.
David Stump, executive vice president of drug development at Human Genome Sciences said that results in mental health suggested significantly less impairment of psychological well-being across the Albuferon treatment groups.
Albuferon is being developed by Human Genome Sciences and Novartis under a worldwide development and commercialization agreement entered into in June 2006.