Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (VRTX)

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8:36AM Vertex Pharm announces new data that showed high viral cure rates with a total of 12 and 24 weeks of telaprevir combination treatment among people with genotype 1 hepatitis C who have the IL28B CC genotype (VRTX) 83.53 : Co announced new data from an interim analysis of the exploratory global Phase 3b CONCISE study evaluating the potential to shorten total treatment with telaprevir combination therapy to 12 weeks in certain people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who have the IL28B CC genotype. In the CONCISE trial, telaprevir was administered twice daily in combination with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin. Of the 239 people in the study, 159 people completed 12 weeks of telaprevir combination treatment and had undetectable hepatitis C virus at week four of treatment (rapid viral response, or RVR) and were eligible to be randomized. One hundred seven people were randomized to receive no further treatment and 52 people were randomized to receive an additional 12 weeks of treatment with pegylated-interferon and ribavirin alone, for a total of 24 weeks of treatment. In the 12-week total treatment group, of the 85 people with data available at the time of the interim analysis, 87 percent (74/85) had undetectable hepatitis C virus 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR12). In the 24-week treatment group, of the 30 people with data available at the time of the interim analysis, 97 percent (29/30) achieved SVR12.