(The 62nd annual meeting was held Nov. 4-8 in San Francisco.)

Company (Location)

Product

Description

Indication

Status (Date)#


Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH (Ingelheim, Germany)

BI201335

Next-generation protease inhibitor

Hepatitis C virus

Phase IIb data of BI201335 in combination with pegylated protease inhibitor, in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin, showed its potential to shorten treatment duration to 12 weeks and to improve the likelihood of viral cure compared to pegylated interferon and ribavirin alone (11/9)

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (New York)

BMS-790052

Dual, all-oral direct-acting antiviral regimen of NS5A replication complex inhibitor daclatasvir and NS3 protease inhibitor asunaprevir

Hepatitis C virus

Phase II data show they achieved undetectable viral load at 12 weeks post-treatment in 90% of genotype 1b HCV patients who had previously not responded to peginterferon alfa and ribavirin (11/9)

ChemoCentryx Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.)

CCX354

Orally-active small molecule that specifically targets and inhibits the chemokine receptor known as CCR1

Rheumatoid arthritis

Phase II data showed it was safe and well tolerated and had clinical and biological activity at 200 mg once daily (11/10)

Cytheris SA (Paris)

CYT107

A recombinant human interleukin-7

Hepatitis C virus

Interim Phase I/IIa data showed treatment with CYT107 plus interferon and ribavirin resulted in a broad immune response associated with HCV viral clearance (11/9)

Gilead Sciences Inc. (Foster City, Calif.)

Viread

Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate

Chronic hepatitis B virus

Phase III data showed it maintained long-term viral suppression of HBV and is associated with a reduction in liver fibrosis and a reversal of cirrhosis (11/8)

Jennerex Inc. (San Francisco)

JX-594

Engineered oncolytic virus

Advanced liver cancer

Phase II data showed a statistically significant benefit in overall survival for the high-dose group vs. the low-dose group (11/8)

Merck & Co. Inc. (Whitehouse Station, N.J.)

Victrelis

Protease inhibitor; boceprevir

Chronic hepatitis C virus

An interim analysis from the open-label study testing Victelis in combination with peginterferon alfa and ribavirin showed that 38% achieved a sustained virologic response (11/8)

NasVax Ltd. (Nes Ziona, Israel)

Monoclonal antibodies

Oral anti-CD3 monoclonal antibodies

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

Phase IIa data showed that it promoted regulatory T cells, decreased liver enzymes and alleviated insulin resistance (11/8)

Santaris Pharma A/S (Hoersholm, Denmark)

Miravirsen

MicroRNA-targeted drug

Hepatitis C virus

Phase IIa data showed that given as a four-week monotherapy treatment it provided robust dose-dependent antiviral activity with a mean reduction of 2 to 3 logs from baseline (11/8)

Scynexis Inc. (Research Triangle Park, N.C.)

SCY-635

An oral cyclophilin inhibitor

Hepatitis C virus

Data demonstrated it reactivated the body's natural defense mechanism, making it capable of inhibiting replication of the virus (11/8)

Tibotec Pharmaceuticals (unit of Johnson & Johnson; New Brunswick, N.J.) and Medivir AB (Huddinge, Sweden)

TMC435

Once-daily therapy; a HS3/4A protease inhibitor

Chronic genotype-1 hepatitis C virus

Phase IIb data showed when administered in combination with peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin, the drug demonstrated a significantly higher sustained virologic response rate compared to placebo plus PR (11/8)

Transgene SA (Strasbourg, France)

TG-4040

Vaccine

Hepatitis C virus

Phase II data showed when administered in combination with pegylated interferon alpha plus ribavirin, it was twice as effective in eliciting a complete early virologic response as standard therapy alone (11/8)

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.)

VX-222

Polyermase inhibitor

Genotype-1 chronic hepatitis C virus

Phase II data of VX-222 with Incivek, pegylated interferon and ribavirin showed that 90% of patients had undetectable HCV levels in the blood 12 weeks after the end of treatment (11/8)


Notes:

Public biotech company stock symbols can be found in the stock report located on the last two pages of this issue.

# The date indicated refers to the BioWorld Today issue in which the news item can be found.