Bristol-Myers Squibb says Baraclude may reduce effects of chronic hepatitis on liver

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced that two separate cohort evaluations have found that Baraclude (entecavir) can improve liver histology in chronic hepatitis B patients.

The data, announced at the 59th annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, also found improvement in fibrosis in the patients.

The evaluations saw Baraclude given to 57 nucleoside-naive patients from rollover study ETV-901, with 96 per cent experiencing an improvement in liver histology and 88 per cent experiencing a reduction in liver fibrosis.

Fibrosis is a result of excessive fibrous connective tissue building up in the liver in response to chronic inflammation, which in turn can be a result of chronic hepatitis B.

Professor Yun-Fan Liaw, lead investigator for the Long-term Histology Cohort at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan said: “These data suggest that long-term treatment with Baraclude has the potential to stop liver damage and may even improve liver fibrosis caused by chronic hepatitis B infection.”

Created at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Baraclude is a nucleoside analogue indicated for use in adults with chronic hepatitis B infection with evidence of active viral replication, compensated liver disease and either evidence of persistent elevations of the blood levels of aminotransferases.