A total of 20 oral and poster presentations on clinical studies with Schering-Plough’s hepatitis products, including PEGINTRON(TM) (peginterferon alfa-2b) and REBETOL(R) (ribavirin, USP) combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, as well as boceprevir (SCH 503034), the company’s investigational oral HCV protease inhibitor currently in Phase II clinical development, will be presented by leading researchers at the 38th annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) meeting to be held at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., May 20-23.
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. It is the leading cause of cirrhosis and liver cancer, and the number one reason for liver transplants in the United States.
PEGINTRON
Clinical investigators will present findings at DDW from numerous PEGINTRON studies evaluating patient response to therapy at certain treatment milestones, an approach that is aimed at individualizing treatment for patients. Schering-Plough also is exploring novel therapeutic approaches with PEGINTRON in combination with investigational antiviral agents to optimize treatment for patients with more difficult-to-treat forms of the disease, such as patients who were nonresponders to previous therapy.
Boceprevir (SCH 503034)
Schering-Plough is undertaking a large, fully integrated clinical development program for its oral HCV protease inhibitor boceprevir, with the goal of developing new strategies for improving treatment outcomes for patients with hepatitis C.
At DDW, Schering-Plough will present results of in vitro studies conducted in collaboration with Wyeth/ViroPharma of boceprevir in combination with their investigational non-nucleoside HCV polymerase inhibitor HCV-796.