The Search for Improved Treatments for Chronic Hepatitis C

By Ronald Baker, PhD

Despite the improvement in hepatitis C therapy offered by the pegylated interferons Pegasys
and PegIntron, more than half of individuals with chronic hepatitis C do not achieve a sustained
response from these treatments, which also are relatively expensive and may produce
serious or even life-threatening adverse events.

In addition, certain patient groups experience consistently inferior virological responses to
combination treatment with interferon and ribavirin, including African Americans, persons
with genotypes 1 and 4 and HIV-HCV coinfected individuals.

There is a pressing need for the development of new therapies to address these and other
shortcomings of the currently available treatments. As a result, studies of various experimental
therapies representing a variety of approaches are moving forward in the research pipeline.

The table below provides a snapshot of the new anti-HCV therapies now in clinical development
in the US.

 

New Anti-HCV Therapies in Development

Drug Category

Description

Drug Name and Drug Sponsor

FDA Status

Interferons

Fusion protein Interferon alfa-albumin

Albuferon
(Human Genome Sciences)

Phase II

Purified multi-subtype human IFN alfa

Multiferon
(Viragen)

Phase II

Pegylated alfacon-1

Peg-alfacon
(InterMune)

Phase 1

Interferon omega

Omega interferon
(Biomedicines)

Phase I

Medusa interferon

Medusa Interferon
(Flamel Technologies)

Phase II

Interferon beta-1a

Rebif
(Ares Serono)

Phase III

Oral interferon alfa

Oral interferon alfa
(Amarillo Biosciences)

Phase I

Ribavirin Alternatives

Amidine prodrug of ribavirin
(nucleoside analogue)

Viramidine
(Valeant Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 3

IMPDH inhibitors

Merimepodib [VX-497]
(Vertex Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 2

Mycophenolic acid

Mycophenolic acid
(Roche Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 1

Antiviral

Amantadine
(Endo Labs, etc)

Phase 3

Immunomodulators

Augmented T-cell function

Thymosin alfa-1 [Zadaxin]
(Sci-Clone)

Phase 3

Enhanced IFN activation of T and natural killer cells

Histamine dihydrochloride (Ceplene)
(Maxim Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 2

Therapeutic vaccine
(viral E1 protein of HCV)

E1 vaccine
(Innogenetics)

Phase 2

Therapeutic vaccine

IC-41
(Intercell)

Phase 2

Vaccine

HCV-MF59
(Chiron)

Phase 1

Inhibitors of Viral Enzymes

synthetic oligonucleotide and selective TLR9 agonist

Actilon
(Coley)

Phase 1/2

NS3 serine protease inhibitor

BILN-2061
(Boehringer Ingelheim)

Phase 2
(on hold)

Serine protease inhibitor

Sch-6
(Schering-Plough)

Phase 1

NS3-4A protease inhibitor

VX-950
(Vertex Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 2

RdRp inhibitor

Valopicitabine [NM-283]
(Idenix Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 1/2

Polymerase inhibitor

JDK-003
(Akros Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 1

Polymerase inhibitor

HCV-896
(ViriPharma)

Phase 1

Antifibrotics

Antisense oligonucleotide

ISIS-14803
(Isis Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 2

Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (FDA-approved for treatment of arthritis)

Enbrel
(Wyeth-Ayerst)

Phase 1

Oral phospholipid antifibrotics

IP-501
(Indevus Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 3

Others

Caspase inhibitors

ID-6556
(Idun Pharmaceuticals)

Phase 2

Anti-CD20 mononclonal antibody

Rituximab
(Genentech)

Phase 1/2

Monoclonal antibody

XLT-6865
(XTL)

Phase 1/2

Prodrug of isatoribine

ANA-971
(Anadys)

Phase 1

Prodrug of isatoribine

ANA-245
(Anadys)

Phase 1/2

Anti-phospholipid

Tarvacin
(Peregrine)

Phase 1



  7/01/05
















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