Bristol-Myers Squibb and ZymoGenetics to present trial results

Bristol-Myers Squibb and ZymoGenetics will present the data from a trial into patients with hepatitis C who are being treated with PEG-Interferon lambda, a new class of interferon, in combination with ribavirin.

PEG-Interferon lambda (IL-29) is a novel type-3 interferon in development for the treatment of hepatitis C and the trial’s outcome will confirm its activity across a wide range of doses.

The results will be presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) annual meeting, which takes place from October 30th to November 3rd 2009.

Elliott Sigal, executive vice-president of Bristol-Myers Squibb, commented: “This is a collaboration that is focused on innovative science that will potentially translate into important new options for patients living with hepatitis C.”

This news comes after Bristol-Myers Squibb revealed last month that a phase III clinical study into ERBITUX (cetuximab) showed that, when administered with FOLFIRI, an overall increase in median survival rates was experienced in an intent-to-treat population of first-line metastatic colorectal cancer patients.