Schering-Plough reports positive opinion on Pegintron and Rebetol therapy

Schering-Plough has announced that the company has received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) for the combination of combination Pegintron (peginterferon alfa-2b) and Rebetol (ribavirin) as a treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients coinfected with HIV.

This recommendation follows the publication of clinical studies showing that patients co-infected with HCV and HIV treated with the combination therapy saw higher sustained virological response rates when compared to patients administered with interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin.

Combination therapy of Pegintron and Rebetol was approved in the European Union as a treatment for chronic hepatitis C in March 2001.

Robert J Spiegel, chief medical officer and senior vice-president of Schering-Plough Research Institute, said: “HCV/HIV coinfection represents a complex treatment challenge and a major concern for patients, as hepatitis C in coinfected individuals appears to have a more aggressive course.”

He added that for this reason, it is imperative that patients with HIV receive effective treatment for HCV, with the positive opinion from the CHMP highlighting the benefits of the Pegintron combination treatment.

Last month, at the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Barcelona, Schering-Plough publicly reaffirmed its dedication to treating HCV infection through its own research programmes and partnerships.