The efficacy in treatment-naive pts appeared very similar to telaprevir. In the two effective arms, one in which boceprevir was initiated in conjunction with Peg-IFN/RBV and one in which the drug was initiated after a 4-week Peg-IFN/RBV run-in period, the undetectable rates at week 12 were 70% and 79%, respectively. This compares to week 12 undetectable rates of 70%-79% observed in the ph.IIb PROVE studies of telaprevir. SGP used a slightly looser definition for "undetectable" (<15IU/mL vs. <10IU/mL).
As for safety, rash was not observed with boceprevir, GI side effects were the most common reason to discontinuation of the drug. The rate of discontinuation due to AEs was 9-12%, vs. 11-13% for telaprevir.