Boehringer Ingelheim completes enrolment for HCV drug trial

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the completion of patient enrolment for two pivotal hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug trials.

Full patient enrolment has been finalised for the phase III HCVerso 1 and 2 studies, which are investigating the efficacy and safety of the second-generation protease inhibitor faldaprevir and NS5B polymerase inhibitor deleobuvir in combination with ribavirin.

The trials will involve subjects from difficult-to-treat patient populations – such as those who are ineligible for interferon or those with liver cirrhosis – with more than 950 patients having been signed up.

Boehringer Ingelheim is expecting to report the first results from these trials next year.

Professor Klaus Dugi, senior vice-president for medicine at Boehringer Ingelheim, said: "This is an important step towards our goal of delivering an effective and well-tolerated cure that will enable patients and doctors to consider an individualised approach for interferon-free HCV therapy."

According to the company's financial report for the first half of 2013, drugs such as Pradaxa, Trajenta and Spiriva have played a key role in driving growth for Boehringer Ingelheim this year.