COLEY'S ACTILON SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST HEPATITIS C

Coley has reported that interim data from a Phase Ib trial show that its hepatitis C drug Actilon significantly reduces viral load.

Twelve out of 14 patients (86 percent) receiving Actilon along with pegylated interferon and ribavirin experienced a greater than 2-log reduction in serum hepatitis C RNA at 12 weeks. Only eight out of 14 patients (57 percent) who were given pegylated interferon and ribavirin achieved this magnitude of reduction.

All the patients in the trial had initially responded to treatment with pegylated interferon and ribavirin but subsequently relapsed within six months of treatment. Actilon was well-tolerated, with the adverse events experienced by patients being similar to those seen in the control group.