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news.New data from a phase Ib study show that Vertex Pharmaceutical's VX-950 dosed in combination with pegylated interferon alfa-2a, achieved a rapid and dramatic reduction in virus levels in genotype 1 patients with chronic hepatitis C infection.
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The combination of VX-950 and peg-IFN produced a median 5.5 log10 reduction in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA at day 14, which equates to a 300,000 fold reduction in viral levels.
Six out of the eight patients receiving the combination achieved HCV RNA levels below quantifiable limits, and four of eight patients achieved HCV RNA levels below the limit of detection.
The antiviral activity of the combination through 14 days was significantly greater than the activity of VX-950 administered as a single agent, and much greater than peg-IFN alone. In addition, VX-950 appeared to be well-tolerated when dosed alone and in combination with peg-IFN in the study.
“These data show that VX-950, in combination with pegylated interferon, produced a very rapid viral response in each of these genotype 1 patients, who are historically the most difficult to treat effectively,” said Dr Henk Reesink, associate professor of medicine at Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam, and a lead investigator for the study.