Gilead's Hepsera performs well in long-term hep B trial

USA-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences says that the results of a long-term study of its oral antiviral drug Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil), used in the treatment of patients with "e" antigen-negative hepatitis B, demonstrated the product's sustained efficacy and safety.

The data, which was presented to this year's meeting of the European Association for the Study of Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria, earlier this week, was a 240-week continuous assessment of the compound's efficacy in the treatment of hepatitis B. Analysis of the results showed that the antiviral was associated with a significant reduction in liver fibrosis, a serious complication of chronic infection. The company added that, four patients experienced serum creatine levels of greater than or equal to 0.5mg/dL by the end of the program, and three patients discontinued use of the product prior to completion. In addition, serious adverse events were reported by 24 of the 125 subjects, none of which were determined to be related to Hepsera.