Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Re: HCV cocktails

>if you subscribe to the notion (as many expert do) that one cannot do without ribavirin in the treatment regimen, then you contradict yourself because its direct antiviral activity is weak and its primary MOA is felt to be immune-related<

Please don’t put words in my mouth. I did not say ribavirin was indispensible; rather, I pointed to your mistake in assuming that ribavirin would not be used in an all-oral regimen.

With all due respect, I think you’ve fallen somewhat behind in the state of the art. Your post reads as though little or no progress had been made in reducing toxicity of the direct antivirals during the past couple of years.

In fact, the progress has been quite impressive and the doses needed to elicit a clinical response are now a little as a hundredth or even a thousandth of the levels used with the prior generation of drugs. Moreover the latest generation of direct antivirals are better targeted to the liver, further reducing systemic exposure relative to the prior generation.