Bristol-Myers Squibb reports positive data for hepatitis C therapy

Bristol-Myers Squibb has announced late-breaking data from the Unity trial programme that demonstrates the benefits of a new combination treatment for hepatitis C.

The study investigated a 12-week regimen of its all-oral daclatasvir Trio regimen – a fixed-dose combination of daclatasvir with asunaprevir and beclabuvir – in a broad range of patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus.

It demonstrated a 98 percent cure rate in treatment-naive patients and a 93 percent cure rate in treatment-experienced genotype 1 patients with cirrhosis, when used alongside ribavirin.

This 12-week all-oral treatment halves the current regimen duration for hard-to-manage treatment-experienced genotype 1 patients affected by cirrhosis, making it a potentially valuable new option.

Dr Douglas Manion, head of specialty development at Bristol-Myers Squibb, said: "The phase III Unity results for the daclatasvir Trio fixed-dose combination are particularly compelling for genotype 1 patients with cirrhosis, whose treatment is often harder to manage than non-cirrhotic patients."

Earlier this month, the company announced that it has agreed an option to acquire Galecto Biotech AB, a deal that would give Bristol-Myers Squibb worldwide rights to Galecto's lead asset, the idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis therapy TD139.