>what are the chances the vrtx hcv candidate [VX-950] may run into "issues" given how far down the road they are in their trial.<
Low chance, IMO. One risk, which applies more strongly in the real world than in a clinical study, is that patients will not adhere to the thrice-daily dosing schedule with the required degree of obsession. Given the short intracellular half-life of VX-950, missing doses could lead to the generation of resistant HCV strains. This risk will probably increase to some degree if VX-950 is being used in a regimen that does not include ribavirin or another direct antiviral.
>what are the chances the idenix hcv candidate [NM283] may run into "issues" given how far down the road they are in their trial.<
Medium risk in the treatment-naïve setting, and high risk in the treatment-refractory setting, IMO. The reason for this disparity is that the 200mg once-daily dose seems to be sufficient to reduce viral load in the treatment-naïve setting, but it is not enough to reduce viral load in the treatment-refractory setting. Doses higher than 200mg/day may be problematic due to GI side effects. Regards, Dew
p.s. Please note that IDIX’s lead drug is the one for HBV (Telbivudine), not the one for HCV (NM283).
“The efficient-market hypothesis may be
the foremost piece of B.S. ever promulgated
in any area of human knowledge!”
