Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pharmasset Enter into a Clinical Collaboration Agreement for Proof of Conce
- Study is the first cross-company collaboration combining two oral, direct-acting antivirals
- Study to evaluate the combination with and without ribavirin in treatment-naïve patients
This proof of concept study will evaluate the potential to achieve sustained viral response 24 weeks post treatment with an oral, once-daily treatment regimen in patients across HCV genotypes. Specifically, the study will assess the safety, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of BMS-790052 in combination with PSI-7977, with and without ribavirin, in treatment-naïve patients chronically infected with HCV genotypes 1, 2, and 3. The study is planned to start in the first half of 2011. This collaboration represents the first cross-company collaboration combining two oral agents to address a significant unmet medical need in the treatment of HCV.
“Bristol-Myers Squibb is committed to the goal of helping patients prevail over hepatitis C by investigating multiple therapeutic platforms,” said Brian Daniels, senior vice president, Development. “We are pleased to partner with Pharmasset on this important study to advance the scientific understanding of the potential for an all-oral regimen to treat hepatitis C. Conducting this study highlights Bristol-Myers Squibb’s ability to collaborate with other companies to develop innovative combination therapies in areas of high unmet need.”
”We are excited to be working with Bristol-Myers Squibb and to be investigating PSI-7977 with a different class of direct acting antivirals,” stated Michelle Berrey, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer. “This collaboration represents one of many approaches we are pursuing with our portfolio of nucleoside/tide analogs that include both interferon free and interferon sparing regimens. We believe the development of an all oral treatment regimen represents an important evolution in the treatment of HCV.”
About BMS-790052
BMS-790052 is an investigational oral hepatitis C NS5A replication complex inhibitor. NS5A is one of the essential components for HCV replication. BMS-790052 is one of several molecules Bristol-Myers Squibb is studying for the potential treatment of chronic hepatitis C. The portfolio of investigational compounds, which also includes a novel pegylated interferon lambda, fits into the company’s overall R&D focus on diseases where there is major unmet medical need.
About PSI-7977
PSI-7977 is a uracil nucleotide analog inhibitor of the NS5B polymerase being developed for the treatment of chronic HCV infection. Nucleotide analog polymerase inhibitors work by acting as alternative substrates that block the synthesis of HCV RNA, which is essential for the virus to replicate. PSI-7977 has been studied in combination with peginterferon and ribavirin for up to 12 weeks in genotype 1, 2 or 3 patients and is currently in two Phase 2b studies, one of which is investigating an interferon sparing regimen in genotype 2 or 3 patients. PSI-7977 is also being investigated in a 14-day combination study with PSI-938, a guanine nucleotide analog.
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