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DewDiligence

04/15/07 5:00 PM

#868 RE: mskatiescarletohara #865

>Anyone have any comments on McHutchison's comments referencing VRTX's compound. Shortening length of treatment is HUGE, quite an endorsement from McHutchison.<

I think McHutchison’s comments are good spin, but spin nonetheless.

Let me turn this issue around and ask what would happen if VX-950 were not able to shorten the SoC in HCV to 24 weeks?

Answer: it would be one of the biggest flameouts in biotech history.

Until now, the issue has been whether VX-950-based cocktails would be able to shorten SoC to twelve weeks. By touting a 24-week regimen in the VRTX PR, McHutchison is implicitly saying that the 12-week idea is dead.
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dewophile

04/16/07 9:34 AM

#870 RE: mskatiescarletohara #865

I don't think the comments are a stretch, but there is some spin here because boger as recently as a few months ago is on record stating he thinks a shortened regimen will be 12 weeks..now while some patients may be eligible for 12 weeks of therapy based on the 6/9 svr thus far, many won't due to dropout or lack of rvr..based on an ITT remember 6/20 or 30% are thus far svr (we haven't reached the 6 month mark yet)
I think 12 triple followed by 12 soc is still looking promising..but even that is not a done deal yet...the dropout rate may seem like vrtx svr rates will be capped, but it is possible that some (even perhaps many) dropouts will still achieve svr..but if someone could only tolerate 4 weeks of vx they might have to transition to a full 48 week course of soc..so a cure might be seen in 12 weeks for a minority of patients, probably a bunch more will be ok with 24 weeks, and a not insignificant number probably will need 48 weeks based on inability to take the full prescribed regimen (in addition to those per protocol who fail to meet specified virologic endpoints), and obviously some will fail altogether