Janssen reports positive trial data for HCV therapy

Janssen has announced positive results from a number of recent clinical trials of its new genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) therapy simeprevir.

The investigational protease inhibitor has been shown to provide a sustained virologic response in both treatment-naive and treatment-experienced adult patients with compensated liver disease in the phase III Quest-1 and Quest-2 trials, as well as the Promise study.

Janssen shared these results at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and hopes they will help to inform prescription decisions when the drug is approved.

This comes after the compound was recently recommended for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Gaston Picchio, disease area leader for hepatitis at Janssen Research and Development, said: "Following last week's positive vote from the FDA's Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee to recommend approval of simeprevir, we look forward to making simeprevir available to patients living with chronic HCV."

The company also reported positive data for Incivo, another HCV therapy, at the AASLD event in Washington DC.