News Release

G1 HCV patients who achieve an early viral response can be successfully treated within 6 months

Peer-Reviewed Publication

European Association for the Study of the Liver

Vienna, Austria, Friday 16 April: 24 weeks of treatment could be sufficient to cure between 93 and 100% of treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 (G1) infected patients if they have a fast antiviral response to Telaprevir (TVR) with Peginterferon (PEG-IFN) and Ribavirin (RBV), according to new research presented today at the International Liver CongressTM 2010, the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna, Austria.

Worldwide, approximately 170 million people are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus . Since no vaccination is available, effective drug treatment is required to slow down or stop the virus from replicating to help prevent progressive liver damage, cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer – one of the top three causes of cancer death in men, and a major cause of cancer death in women .

Professor Mark Thursz, EASL Vice-Secretary said: "This trial is really helpful as it shows that patients with a good early virological response only need 24 weeks of treatment and that a twice daily dose of Telaprevir is just as effective as three times a day. Although the number of patients in this study was relatively small and should therefore be treated with caution, I expect such findings will make an important contribution in terms of patients' adherence to their therapy and overall treatment outcomes. This will ultimately impact on their overall quality of life."

161 patients from centres throughout Europe and the United States were enrolled in this phase II trial and randomised to receive 12 weeks of TVR at different doses and intervals, in addition to either PEG-IFN-alfa-2a or alpha-2b plus 800-1200mg/day RBV. After 12 weeks, patients received additional PEG-IFN and RBV based on treatment responses – an additional 12 weeks if HCV RNA was undetectable from week four to week 20, or an additional 36 weeks otherwise.

Interestingly, of the 68% (range across all study arms 56-75%) of patients that qualified to receive only 24 weeks of treatment, between 93 and 100% of the group achieved a Sustained Virologic Response (SVR, when the virus is no longer detected in the blood even after stopping the treatment and considered as a cure for hepatitis C) - an effect that was observed regardless of the type of PEG-IFN or TVR dosing schedule. Researchers also found that a high SVR was observed in the 18% of patients (range across all study arms 10-24%) that received TVR, PEG-IFN and RBV treatment for 48 weeks.

Overall, within the study period, 14% of patients discontinued treatment before week 24 for reasons including virological failure and adverse events (AE). Between study groups, AE incidence was reported as being comparable and discontinuations of all therapy due to AEs (most frequently reported included rash and anaemia) were recorded at 8% with the majority occurring before week 24.

###

About EASL

EASL is the leading European scientific society involved in promoting research and education in hepatology. EASL attracts the foremost hepatology experts as members and has an impressive track record in promoting research in liver disease, supporting wider education and promoting changes in European Liver policy.

EASL's work continues throughout the year with numerous events and initiatives, including:

  • The International Liver CongressTM which lasts several days and attracts upwards of 7,500 participants
  • EASL meetings including Monothematic and Special conferences, Post Graduate courses and other EASL endorsed meetings that take place throughout the year
  • EASL Clinical and Basic Schools of Hepatology, a series of events covering different aspects in the field of hepatology
  • Journal of Hepatology published monthly with a readership of over 40,000
  • Presenting new initiatives for European liver policy change

About The International Liver CongressTM 2010

The International Liver Congress™ 2010, the 45th annual meeting of the European Association for the study of the Liver, is being held at the Reed Messe Wien congress center, Vienna, Austria from April 14th-18th, 2010. The congress annually attracts over 7,500 clinicians and scientists from around the world and provides an opportunity to hear the latest research, perspectives and treatments of liver disease from principal experts in the field.

For further information on this study, or to request an interview, please do not hesitate to contact the EASL Press Office on:
Email: media.easl2010@cohnwolfe.com

Isabelle Scali:
Dimple Natali: Onsite tel: +44 7717 435 103
Offsite tel: +44 20 7331 5381 / +44 7900 138 904

References
X. Forns et al., On-treatment response guided therapy with Telaprevir q8h or q12h combined with Peginterferon Alfa-2a or Peginterferon Alfa-2b and Ribavirin in treatment-naïve genotype 1 hepatitis C (study C208). Abstract presented at the International Liver CongressTM 2010 World Health Organization factsheet. Available at http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs328/en/index.html accessed 19.03.10 Hepatitis. NHS Choices. Available at http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Hepatitis/Pages/Introduction.aspx accessed 19.03.10


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.