Merck Sharp and Dohme publishes positive hepatitis C trial data

Merck Sharp and Dohme has announced positive findings from a phase III study assessing a new treatment regimen for hepatitis C patients with kidney disease.

Data from C-SURFER, the first phase III clinical trial to investigate an all-oral, ribavirin-free chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) regimen in patients with advanced chronic kidney disease and chronic HCV genotype 1 infection, has been published in The Lancet.

The peer-reviewed results show that 12 weeks of therapy with elbasvir plus grazoprevir resulted in high rates of sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the completion of treatment (SVR12).

In the primary analysis population, 99 percent of subjects achieved SVR12, with efficacy achieved regardless of patient characteristics.

Dr Howard Monsour Jr, chief of hepatology at Houston Methodist Hospital, said: "The publication of this study details the evidence supporting a potential future treatment option for these patients who are currently underserved."

This comes after the firm reported that bezlotoxumab, its investigational antitoxin to prevent C. difficile infection recurrence, met its primary endpoint in a pair of studies last month.