Strong Ph II data on Intarcia's omega-INF

Intarcia Therapeutics, a privately-held US drugmaker, reported strong results from a Phase II study of omega interferon with or without ribavirin in treatment-naive patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C. The results demonstrate that the agent, in combination with Roche's ribavirin, is well-tolerated and shows robust antiviral activity comparable to published data on alpha-interferon plus ribavirin in similar patient populations, the firm noted.

The 72-week sustained viral response data were presented at the 42nd annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver, held in Barcelona, Spain. According to Intarcia, the Phase II trial of daily subcutaneous omega-interferon injections provides safety and clinical response data that support continued development of omega-interferon delivered by continuous release from the firm's DUROS device, in order to provide a more convenient treatment option for HCV patients.