Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

6w HCV regimens are contraindicated from both a scientific and business standpoint.

You cited the scientific impediment in your post: i.e., that one doesn’t want to incur even a small risk of relapse from stopping treatment too soon. The natural lifecycle of hepatocytes makes it questionable whether a small-molecule treatment regimen shorter than 8w could be viable.

From a business standpoint, the problem with any regimen that has variable treatment duration according to genotype is that it re-introduces the need for genotyping—a task that has been obviated by drugs such as Mavyret and Epclusa.

Further, Rx scripts generally come in multiples of 4 weeks, and hence a 6w regimen would require just as many refills as an 8w regimen, thereby offering no advantage in refill compliance.