Gilead finds Viread sustains suppression of hepatitis B

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Gilead finds Viread sustains suppression of hepatitis B

By Alaric DeArment

BOSTON (Nov. 2) Most patients who took an investigational drug for hepatitis B

infection kept the number of copies of the virus in their bloodstream low, and

some may be curable, according to results of two late-stage trials of the drug

released Saturday.

Gilead Sciences announced results of phase 3 studies conducted over three years

of the drug Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), which the company will

present at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases in Boston, which began Friday and continues until Tuesday.

The studies found that most patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving the drug

lowered their viral load to 400 copies per milliliter of blood and kept it at

that level, and 8% of patients experienced loss of the “s” antigen, which can

contribute to curing of the disease. No patients experienced mutations of the

virus that would allow it to become immune to the drug.

“The development of resistance is a significant challenge for practitioners

treating patients with chronic hepatitis B,” physician and principal

investigator of one of the trials Marcellin of Hopital Beaujon in

Clichy, France, said in a statement. “The robust and comprehensive resistance

surveillance in these studies provides important information for the medical

community and shows that Viread offers a high barrier to resistance.”

[Guest guest]

http://drugstorenews.com/(S(tpkz1fbvj3de1s55lkqymt45))/story.aspx?id=121037 & menu\

id=335

Gilead finds Viread sustains suppression of hepatitis B

By Alaric DeArment

BOSTON (Nov. 2) Most patients who took an investigational drug for hepatitis B

infection kept the number of copies of the virus in their bloodstream low, and

some may be curable, according to results of two late-stage trials of the drug

released Saturday.

Gilead Sciences announced results of phase 3 studies conducted over three years

of the drug Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), which the company will

present at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver

Diseases in Boston, which began Friday and continues until Tuesday.

The studies found that most patients with chronic hepatitis B receiving the drug

lowered their viral load to 400 copies per milliliter of blood and kept it at

that level, and 8% of patients experienced loss of the “s” antigen, which can

contribute to curing of the disease. No patients experienced mutations of the

virus that would allow it to become immune to the drug.

“The development of resistance is a significant challenge for practitioners

treating patients with chronic hepatitis B,” physician and principal

investigator of one of the trials Marcellin of Hopital Beaujon in

Clichy, France, said in a statement. “The robust and comprehensive resistance

surveillance in these studies provides important information for the medical

community and shows that Viread offers a high barrier to resistance.”