STUDY FINDS VALOPICITABINE COMBINED WITH PEGASYS LEADS TO GREATER SUPPRESSION OF HCV

Idenix Pharmaceuticals' Valopicitabine, combined with pegylated interferon (Pegasys), demonstrated significantly greater viral suppression after 12 weeks of treatment compared to retreatment with ribavirin plus pegylated interferon in chronic hepatitis C (HCV), genotype 1 patients who were non-responders to previous therapy.

The Phase IIb clinical trial in treatment-refractory patients is designed to evaluate different dosing regimens of Valopicitabine in combination with Pegasys and to compare this combination with the combination therapy of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. At 12 weeks of treatment, the two higher-dose arms of Valopicitabine plus Pegasys showed significantly greater suppression of serum HCV RNA compared to the ribavirin plus Pegasys retreatment arm.