Hepatitis C is the most common blood-borne infection in America and the most common form of liver disease, affecting nearly 5 million people in the United States and 200 million people worldwide.

Eight oral presentations and 23 poster presentations highlighting clinical data for Schering-Plough’s hepatitis products, including peginterferon alfa-2b (PegIntron) and ribavirin (Rebetol) combination therapy, will be presented by leading researchers at the 37th Annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW 2006) meeting.  The meeting will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, Calif., from Saturday, May 20, 2006 through Thursday, May 25, 2006. 

Study investigators will report findings from the WIN-R trial (Weight-Based Dosing of PegIntron and Rebetol), a community-based trial and the largest clinical study in hepatitis C ever conducted in the United States, including key knowledge surrounding treatment outcome as associated with differences in patient HCV genotype, degree of fibrosis or cirrhosis, viral load and stratification, cigarette smoking, and prior HCV treatment experience.

For program information, please visit the Digestive Disease Week Web site at         www.ddw.org.

Key Data Presentations

The WIN-R Trial
Differences In Treatment Outcome To Antiviral Therapy Based On Genotype And Viral Load In Hepatitis C Genotypes 2 And 3 In The WIN-R Trial; R. Brown et al., Oral Presentation.

The effect of liver fibrosis and cirrhosis on SVR in 4913 patients with hepatitis C; Results from the WIN-R trial; N. Afdhal et al., Oral Presentation.

Stratification of High Viral Load: Impact on Sustained Virologic Response in the WIN-R Trial; I.M. Jacobson et al., Poster Presentation.

The influence of cigarette smoking on response to treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b and ribavirin in patients with chronic hepatitis C; M.P. Pauley et al., Poster Presentation.

Prior HCV Treatment Experience and its Relationship To Sustained Virologic Response (SVR): An Analysis of the WIN-R Study Database, A US Academic Community based Trial; P. Kwo et al., Poster Presentation.

HCV Patient Support Effect on Adherence
Evaluation of an HCV Patient Support Program’s Impact on Patient Adherence; M. Hussein et al., Oral Presentation.

Peginterferon Comparative Data
Predictors of SVR in patients with treatment-naïve chronic HCV treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2b vs. PEG-IFN alfa-2a + ribavirin: A hierarchical linear regression analysis of retrospective data from 6 clinic sites; F. Poordad et al., Poster Presentation.

HIV/HCV-coinfection

Growth Factors Versus Dose Reduction for Pegylated Interferon Alfa-2b and Ribavirin Associated Neutropenia and Anemia in HIV/HCV Co-Infected Patients; J.S. Kadam et al., Poster Presentation.

Schering-Plough Sponsored CME Symposium
“Treating Hepatitis C in Difficult-to-Treat Patients and Special Populations”
Monday, May 22, 2006

Faculty:

Eugene R. Schiff, MD, MACP, FRCP, MACG (Chair)
Leonard Miller Professor of Medicine
Chief, Division of Hepatology
Director, Center for Liver Disease
University of Miami School of Medicine

Kenneth E. Sherman, MD, PhD
Gould Professor of Medicine
Director, Division Digestive Diseases 
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Robert S. Brown, Jr., MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery
Chief, Division of Liver Disease and Transplantation
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
New York Presbyterian Hospital

05/19/06

Source
Schering-Plough