TAG
Pipeline Report Outlines Future of Hepatitis C Treatment
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| SUMMARY:
New report from Treatment Action Group (TAG) details
experimental hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapies in development,
including protease inhibitors boceprevir and telaprevir. |
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By
Tracy Swan
The
future of HCV treatment is almost here: in 2011, regulators in
the U.S., Canada, and Europe are expected to review 2 hepatitis
C protease inhibitors, Merck's boceprevir
and Vertex's telaprevir.
Both of these oral drugs can shorten treatment duration for some
patients, and they will boost cure rates for treatment-naive and
treatment experienced-patients with hard-to-treat HCV genotype
1.
But
they are far from a magic bullet. Both drugs must be used in combination
with the current standard of care -- pegylated
interferon plus ribavirin -- and drug resistance may limit
their effectiveness. Treatment algorithms are complicated, and
involve consideration of patient and drug-specific characteristics.
Following
advances in hepatitis C treatment can be difficult, given the
overwhelming amount of information, complicated trial designs,
and constantly changing terminology. More than 30 direct-acting
antiviral drugs (DAAs) are currently in clinical trials, along
with immunomodulators -- drugs that target host rather than viral
factors -- therapeutic vaccines, and new types and formulations
of interferon. Novel treatment strategies, such as response-guided
therapy, interferon-sparing regimens, and quadruple therapy are
being explored.
Earlier
this month, TAG published its latest Hepatitis C Treatment
Pipeline Report. The Pipeline Report combines a comprehensive
overview of new HCV treatments under development with detailed
information about boceprevir and telaprevir.
The
Pipeline Report also covers diagnostics, global and national
perspectives on barriers to access, and treatment issues for African
Americans and Latinos/Latinas, HIV/HCV coinfected people, prior
non-responders and null responders, people with liver cirrhosis,
current and former injection drug users, and liver transplant
candidates and recipients, as well as recommendations for research
and clinical care.
The
new TAG report is available online at: www.treatmentactiongroup.org/publication.aspx?id=4416).
Tracy
Swan, author of the Pipeline Report, is Hepatitis/HIV Project
Director at TAG.
3/25/11
Source
T Swan. Hepatitis C Treatment Pipeline Report. Treatment
Action Group. March 2011.
