might run back over 20 after meeting, page-45

The next generation treatment for HCV is fast approaching ... it will be interesting to see if the Russians will follow these treatments ... as the rest of the western world will ... I fail to see how Ropren can compete on this level.

KENILWORTH, N.J., Nov 24, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Company reaffirms its innovation leadership and long-term commitment to hepatitis research today provided a clinical update on boceprevir, its lead investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor currently in Phase III development. The company believes boceprevir has the potential to be a first-in-class and best-in-class protease inhibitor for treating chronic hepatitis C. The company also announced that it is developing a highly potent next-generation oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor that has future best-in-class potential. The compound, known as SCH 900518 is currently in Phase IIa clinical development. The update was presented today as part of the company's 2008 R&D Update meeting at its headquarters in Kenilworth, N.J.


"As pioneers in the hepatitis field, our vision is to apply our experience and innovation, as we have in the past, to continue to redefine and improve treatments for chronic hepatitis C, in the near term and in the future," said Thomas P. Koestler, Ph.D., executive vice president and president, Schering-Plough Research Institute.

The company reported for the first time that in a Phase II study, a 48-week boceprevir regimen achieved an unprecedented 75 percent sustained virologic response (SVR) rate at 24 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR 24) in patients who received 4 weeks of PEGINTRON(TM) (peginterferon alfa-2b) and REBETOL(R) (ribavirin, USP) prior to the addition of boceprevir (800 mg TID) (P/R lead-in). This represents a near doubling of the 38 percent SVR 24 rate for patients in the control group receiving 48-weeks of PEGINTRON and REBETOL alone (ITT).(1,2) In a 28-week boceprevir P/R lead-in regimen, the SVR 24 rate was 56 percent. Importantly, for patients who received the boceprevir P/R lead-in regimen and had rapid virologic response (RVR), defined as undetectable virus (HCV-RNA) in plasma after 4 weeks of boceprevir treatment, SVR was 94 percent in the 48 week regimen and 82 percent in the 28-week regimen. RVR has been shown to be a reliable predictor for achieving SVR. These final results are from the HCV SPRINT-1 study in 595 treatment-naive patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1.