VRUS: Hits All-Time High After Ph I Dosing Begins for Hepatitis C Treatment
Sumbmited From Knobias ClipReport
Shares of Pharmasset Inc (VRUS) soared to an all-time high in Wednesday’s session after it began dosing in a Phase 1 study of R7128 in combination with Roche’s Pegasys(R)(pegylated interferon) and Copegus(R)(ribavirin) for patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, the most difficult to treat form. R7128 is classed as a nucleoside polymerase inhibitor, a new generation of antivirals being developed to treat HCV patients, and it has been shown to lower the level of the virus in patients who failed to respond to interferon therapy. After completing 28 days of the triple combination regimen and a follow-up period of 4 weeks of Pegasys plus Copegus, all patients will then receive 40 weeks of open-label standard of care dosing under a separate protocol.
