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CLINICAL PHASE I TRIAL WITH HEPATITIS C VIRUS PROTEASE INHIBITOR INITIATED
http://www.therapeuticsdaily.com/news/article.cfm?contenttype=sentryarticle&contentvalue=1233163...
Waymaker (English) - Feb. 08, 2007

Medivir, on behalf of the Tibotec and Medivir collaborative project, announced that this week Tibotec initiated a phase I clinical trial with a potent and selective hepatitis C virus (HCV) NS3/4A protease inhibitor, for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection. The phase Ia clinical trial is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. The study will be conducted in Europe.


The preclinical research conducted on the clinical candidate
demonstrated favorable characteristics in potency, cross-resistance profiles and pharmacokinetic properties, supporting the exploration of oral dosing in the clinical trials.


This milestone triggers a payment of EUR 2.5 million to Medivir.

As there is a great need of new and effective treatment for chronic hepatitis C, we are extremely pleased that this project with joint resources and efforts now enters clinical trials says Medivir's CEO Lars Adlersson.


About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease which is caused by infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV). According to the WHO, 3% of the global population is infected with HCV, which means 200 million individuals. In the USA, 1.8% of the population is infected, that is 3.9 million people.
In more than 60% of these cases, the HCV infection leads to chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and liver tumors. It is the most common reason for liver transplant. The HCV market is currently dominated by interferon-based treatments.