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Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced the
discontinuation of work on the experimental hepatitis C drug ALS-2158 and
resumption of development on another hepatitis C drug, ALS-2200. ALS-2158,
which was being developed with partner Alios BioPharma Inc., did not show
enough efficacy. On the other hand, ALS2200 showed promise in an early trial.
The company is planning a mid-stage or Phase II trial of ALS-2200 in
combination with ribavirin and one trial to evaluate ALS-220 in combination
with the existing drug Incivek. Incivek, which must be taken with interferon,
was approved in 2011 and so far has doubled the cure rate of prior standard
treatments.
Vertex acquired worldwide rights to
ALS-2200 in a licensing agreement with Alios in June 2011. According to the
company, the drug is designed to inhibit replication of the hepatitis C virus
and the virus does not seem to become easily resistant to it. ALS-2200 is a
nucleotide analogue or nuc, a class of drugs that has had problems with safety
concerns.
Vertex is competing with other
pharmaceutical companies including Gilead Sciences, Inc., and Abbott
Laboratories to bring to market a hepatitis C drug that is not taken in
combination with interferon, as interferon causes flu-like symptoms and may
make patients discontinue treatment. For these reasons, the company is being
tight-lipped about the structure of ALS-2200. However, more details are
expected at a medical conference in November.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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