Schering Plough provides update on boceprevir

Schering-Plough has provided an update on ongoing Phase II trials for its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor boceprevir.

Initial results from the study have shown that boceprevir, in combination with Pegintron and Rebetol, has achieved a high rate of early virologic response in treatment-naive hepatitis C patients.

Nearly 80 per cent of patients have had undetectable virus (HCV-RNA) at week 12 of boceprevir treatment compared with 34 per cent of patients receiving Pegintron and Rebetol alone.

Lead investigator of the study Paul Kwo described the initial results as “encouraging”, showing boceprevir as a potent antiviral agent for hepatitis C.

“In this study, boceprevir improved viral clearance rates at week 12 in genotype one hepatitis C infection compared to the control group. We look forward to further results from this ongoing study.”

Boceprevir is being investigated in two large Phase II clinical studies which will see 800 patients taking part.

Last week, Schering-Plough received approval from the European commission for its planned acquisition of Organon BioSciences from Akzo Nobel.

The pharmaceutical company still needs to secure certain regulatory approvals including clearance from the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) but is hopeful that the acquisition will be completed by the end of 2007.