SUMMARY: The 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL 2010) -- also known as the International Liver Congress -- is underway this week in Vienna, Austria. Researchers will present their latest findings in areas including hepatitis B and C liver disease progression, HIV/HBV and HIV/HCV coinfection, experimental drugs, and new strategies for using approved therapies. HIVandHepatitis.com will provide coverage of key EASL presentations over the next several issues.

By Liz Highleyman

The EASL meeting, held each spring, is the major annual liver disease conference in Europe, comparable to the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) meeting held in fall in the U.S.

Abstracts from the EASL meeting are available online at www2.kenes.com/liver-congress/Pages/Home.aspx. Select "Scientific Programme" to browse or search abstracts of oral presentations and posters.

Several pharmaceutical companies have announced data to be presented on their investigational hepatitis C therapies, including the following (not a complete list of all new agents that will be discussed):

	Achillion Pharmaceuticals:
	In vitro and early clinical data on HCV protease inhibitor ACH-0141625.
	GlobeImmune:
	3 presentations on GI-5005 therapeutic HCV vaccine plus pegylated interferon/ribavirin.
	Idenix Pharmaceuticals:
	In vitro and early clinical data on nucleotide analog HCV polymerase inhibitor IDX184, non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor IDX375, and protease inhibitor IDX-320, alone and in combination.
	Idera Pharmaceuticals:
	Oral and poster presentations on toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist IMO-2125 for hepatitis C.
	Merck/Schering-Plough:
	Long-term clinical trial data on HCV protease inhibitor boceprevir plus pegylated interferon/ribavirin; Phase 2 data on NS3 HCV protease inhibitor narlaprevir in combination therapy; Phase 1 data on novel NS3/4A HCV protease inhibitor MK-5172; Findings on closely individualized therapy with pegylated interferon alfa-2b (PegIntron) plus ribavirin. Data from PROTECT study of PegIntron plus ribavirin following liver transplantation.
	OctoPlus:
	Phase 2 results for Locteron controlled release interferon alfa.
	Pharmasset, Inc.:
	28-day clinical trial data on HCV polymerase inhibitor RG7128 in genotype 2/3 patients; In vitro data on new nucleotide analogs PSI-7977 and PSI-938.
	Scynexis, Inc:
	In vitro and Phase 1 data on cyclophilin inhibitor SCY-635.
	Vertex Pharmaceuticals:
	Data from PROVE rollover study (Study 107) of HCV protease inhibitor telaprevir plus pegylated interferon/ribavirin; Further data on telaprevir in response-guided therapy and for genotype 2/3 patients; Phase 1/2 data on HCV non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor VX-222.

4/16/10

Source
European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) web site (http://www.easl.eu).