Gilead Sciences reports positive results from hepatitis drug trial

Gilead Sciences has announced positive findings from a phase III trial of a promising new treatment for hepatitis C in patients who are co-infected with HIV.

The study, entitled Photon-1, was designed to assess the performance of the investigational once-daily nucleotide analogue sofosbuvir among patients in this group, in order to confirm its safety and efficacy.

It was found that 76 percent of genotype 1 hepatitis C treatment-naive patients receiving 24 weeks of an all-oral, interferon-free regimen of sofosbuvir plus ribavirin achieved a sustained virologic response 12 weeks after completing therapy.

Patients who achieve this goal are generally considered to be cured of the condition, demonstrating the success of this new therapy option in a hard-to-treat patient population.

Dr Douglas Dieterich, professor of medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, said: "There is a clear need for HCV treatment regimens that are more effective and safer for patients who are co-infected with HIV."

This comes after the company announced positive clinical data showing the long-term effectiveness of its HIV therapy Stribild last month.