Janssen Sciences Ireland UC is going to present clinical data regarding its NS3/4A protease inhibitor, called simeprevir, to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections at the upcoming International Liver Congress 2015. The event is being organized by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and will happen between April 22 and 26, in Vienna, Austria.
The main presentations will be focused on the efficacy and tolerability results of simeprevir in interferon-free combinations in Phase 2, Phase 3 and real-world clinical studies. The company, which is part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, is going to hold a presentation not only on simeprevir, but also on the early-stage data from investigational nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitors AL-335 and AL-516, following the recently acquired company Alios BioPharma.
“Hepatitis C remains a serious health problem. The breadth of data we are presenting at The International Liver Congress reinforces our commitment to reducing the significant burden of this infectious disease around the world,” explained in a press release Janssen’s hepatitis disease area leader, Gaston Picchio. “Janssen has an extensive and ongoing clinical trial program for hepatitis C, including confirmatory and new exploratory studies, and we look forward to sharing these results. We remain focused on investigating alternative and more immediate treatment options for patients with a high unmet need.”
During the International Liver Congress, 14 presentations will feature investigational HCV treatment options from Janssen. Three of the abstracts are focused on the acceptance of simeprevir as late-breaking presentations, since Janssen is committed to using this data in order show their efforts to combat the severe public health threat that is HCV.
“These data highlight the strength of our commitment to advancing research in the area of viral hepatitis,” added the global head therapeutics at Janssen Infectious Diseases and Vaccines, Lawrence M. Blatt, PhD, who is also the president and CEO of Alios BioPharma. “We are delighted to present additional data for simeprevir in combination with other currently available therapeutic options alongside early-stage data for our nucleotide portfolio.”
Recent findings from a multi-center international research that included investigators from Penn Medicine, revealed that treating patients who suffer from HCV with once a day doses of simeprevir along with interferon and ribavirin is as effective as administering them with telaprevir with interferon and ribavirin, which is the standard care recommended among developing countries. The researchers found that simeprevir not only is simpler for patients to take, but also has fewer adverse effects.