Merck Sharp and Dohme to present hepatitis data at EASL meeting

Merck Sharp and Dohme has announced that it will be showcasing the latest data on its portfolio of hepatitis C therapies at the forthcoming annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

The 2013 International Liver Congress will be held in Amsterdam from April 24th to 28th and will see the company sharing data from two recent analyses of its approved hepatitis product Victrelis.

One presentation will discuss the benefits of a Victrelis-based combination therapy for use among patients with compensated cirrhosis, while another will assess the drug's performance in comparison to boceprevir triple therapy.

Data from phase II studies of two of Merck's investigational medicines for chronic hepatitis C – MK-5172 and vaniprevir – will also be presented at the event.

Dr Eliav Barr, vice-president for infectious diseases and project leadership and management at Merck Research Laboratories, said: "We look forward to sharing our new data about Victrelis and Merck's investigational medicines for chronic hepatitis C with the global scientific community."

This comes after the firm presented information on its allergy portfolio at the 2013 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology in San Antonio at the end of February.