TMC435 - Protease inhibitors as combination therapy in Hep C virus

Protease inhibitors as combination therapy in Hep C virus

This month's issue of Gastroenterology examine the efficacy of re-treatment with TMC435 as combination therapy in Hepatitis C virus–infected patients following TMC435 monotherapy.

In the TMC435-C101 study, 6 patients infected with hepatitis C virus genotype 1 were treated with the protease inhibitor TMC435 (200 mg once daily) as monotherapy for 5 days.

Dr Oliver Lenz and colleagues from Belgium evaluated these patients approximately 1.5 years later.

The team reported that 5 of these patients were re-treated with TMC435 plus pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin for 4 weeks, followed by PegIFNα-2a and RBV until week 48 in the Optimal Protease inhibitor Enhancement of Response to therApy [OPERA-1] study.

The team identified TMC435-resistant variants in all 5 patients during the TMC435-C101 study.

However, these were no longer detected at the beginning of the OPERA-1 study based on virus population sequencing.

The researchers observed that during the OPERA-1 study, 3 patients had a sustained virologic response.

Deep sequencing indicated low-level persistence of resistant variants in the remaining 2 patients, which might have affected their response to re-treatment.

Dr Lenz comments, "This study examined the efficacy of re-treatment with TMC435 as combination therapy in Hepatitis C virus–infected patients following TMC435 monotherapy."

Gastroenterology 2012: 143(5): 1176-1178.e6
06 November 2012

http://www.gastrohep.com/news/news.asp?id=109199