Hepatitis C Drug ITMN-191 Appears Safe
In addition to demonstrating a Hepatitis C anti-viral effect, an early trial investigating ITMN-191 met safety goals. With this good news, a Phase II study will evaluate this drug in combination with pegylated interferon and ribavirin.
InterMune Hepatitis C Drug Passes Study
© 2008 The Associated Press
April 1, 2008, 9:48AM
www.chron.com
BRISBANE, Calif. — Biotechnology company InterMune Inc. said Tuesday its hepatitis C drug candidate met safety goals in an early stage clinical trial and showed signs of effectiveness.
The drug candidate ITMN-191, being developed with Swiss drug company Roche, reduced hepatitis C RNA in the small-scale study, showing an antiviral effect. Early stage clinical trials typically measure a drug's safety profile and whether it reaches its treatment target. The patient population is often too small to determine whether the drug candidate is actually effective.
The two companies plan a 14-day study on the drug in combination with two approved drugs, Pegasys and Copegus, also called ribavirin. An application was submitted to European regulatory authorities last month for the triple-combination study. Also, Roche has completed the tablet formulation of ITMN-191 and will use it in a midstage, or Phase II, clinical trial.
Shares of InterMune rose $2.84, or 19.1 percent, to $17.42. The stock has traded between $11.72 and $30.99 over the last 52 weeks.