Boehringer Ingelheim to end hepatitis C research activity

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced a change in its strategic direction that will see it pull out of the hepatitis C research field.

The firm will withdraw all pending marketing applications for its new drug faldaprevir worldwide and is discontinuing further development, after deciding there was no longer an unmet medical need for the drug.

Faldaprevir had shown promise in the treatment of drug-resistant hepatitis in the past and had been granted accelerated assessment status by the European Medicines Agency based on its positive performance in clinical trials.

However, the treatment environment has rapidly evolved since the submission of the faldaprevir marketing applications to global regulatory bodies around the world, with several new treatment options now available for patients.

Additional all-oral options are expected to be approved in 2014, so Boehringer Ingelheim has taken the decision to focus on treatments with high value in areas where medical need exists.

A statement said: "The company is focusing its efforts on numerous promising development projects in immunology, cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic diseases, diseases of the central nervous system and oncology."