Addendum re Telaprevir ‘C208’ study: For a given cumulative daily dose, in general one expects BID dosing to produce greater side effects than TID dosing because the peak serum concentration is higher. In the ‘C208’ trial, the side effect that everyone will be focused on is the rash.
Regardless of the outcome of the C208 study, the initial regulatory filings for Telaprevir by VRTX and JNJ will be for TID dosing. However, showing that the drug can be dosed BID is consequential from a competitive standpoint.