Abbott hepatitis C combo impressive in small study

A combination of experimental oral hepatitis C treatments being developed by Abbott Laboratories led to cure rates higher than 90 percent in previously untreated patients, according to data from a small mid-stage study.

The data, to be presented at a major European liver meeting later this month, puts Abbott firmly in the crowded race to produce a short duration, interferon-free treatment regimen for the serious liver disease.

Abbott shares rose nearly 2 percent on a down day for the broader market. Shares of some companies developing rival drugs, such as Gilead Sciences Inc and Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc fell.

"This demonstrates unprecedented cure rates for the most common form of hepatitis C infection. And we were able to achieve those rates with only a 12-week duration of therapy," said Scott Brun, Abbott's divisional vice president for infectious disease development.

Abstracts, or brief summaries, of studies to be presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) meeting in Barcelona were made available on Wednesday.

"At EASL it's going to be very clear that we've reached a really transformational moment for patients with HCV (hepatitis C virus)," Brun said.

The Phase II trial of previously untreated patients, known as Co-Pilot, combined Abbot's protease inhibitor ABT-450 boosted by the antiviral drug ritonavir with its polymerase inhibitor ABT-333 and ribavirin, a drug that is part of all current hepatitis C regimens.

Hepatitis C infection facts

- HCV is one of several viruses that cause hepatitis (inflammation of the liver).

- Up to 85% of individuals who are initially (acutely) infected with HCV will fail to eliminate the virus and will become chronically infected.

- HCV is spread most commonly through inadvertent exposure to infected blood. Intravenous drug abuse is the most common mode of transmission. The risk of acquiring HCV through sexual contact is low.

- Generally, patients do not develop symptoms of chronic infection with HCV until they have extensive scarring of the liver (cirrhosis). Some individuals, however, may have fatigue and other non-specific symptoms in the absence of cirrhosis. A minority of patients with HCV have symptoms from organs outside of the liver.

- In the U.S., Infection with HCV is the most common cause of chronic hepatitis and the most common reason for liver transplantation.

- HCV is diagnosed by determining levels in the blood of antibodies to the virus and then confirmed with other tests for viral RNA. The amount of viral RNA in the blood (viral load) does not correlate with the severity of the disease but can be used to track the response to treatment.

- A liver biopsy may be used to assess the amount of liver damage (liver cell injury and scarring), which can be important in planning treatment.