Debiopharm hails strong results with HCV drug

Swiss drugmaker Debiopharm has presented results from a Phase IIa study with Debio 025, a selective cyclophilin inhibitor with a potent  anti-hepatitis C effect at the annual meeting of the European  Association for the Study of the Liver, in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Phase IIa study investigated the efficacy and safety of Debio 025 in  combination with Peg-interferon alpha 2a and ribavirin in previously  null-responder genotype 1 HCV patients. Results demonstrated that Debio  025 at doses of 400mg (with initial loading) and 800mg daily for 29 days  showed a statistically-significant reduction of HCV RNA of respectively  -1.96 log (-98.9%) and -2.38 log (-99.5%) when co-administered with  Peg-IFN alpha-2a and ribavirin in previous null responders.

"These results in patients who are highly unlikely to respond to  retreatment with an interferon-based regimen, are very important to us,  as they confirm that Debio 025 is a potent anti-HCV agent," said  Rolland-Yves Mauvernay, founder of Debiopharm.