Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Hepatitis C treatment options

What is Abbie? I heard about something called Abbie pertaining to hep c treatment. I have no idea what it is and would appreciate if you can help.

2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
683231 tn?1467323017
Abbie is a drug manufacturer they make one of the many new medicines for hep c.

Their currently approved medicine is called Viekira Pak but they are working in new medicines.

There are other medicines available from other pharmaceutical companies for treating hep c.

The best medicine for any individual patient will be determined by their doctor based on the genotype of hep the patient is infected with along with other factors
Helpful - 0
1747881 tn?1546175878
AbbVie oral hep C drugs cure 96 percent in late stage trial

(Reuters) - AbbVie Inc's all-oral hepatitis C therapy cured 96 percent of difficult-to-treat patients in a late-stage clinical trial after 12 weeks, keeping the company well placed in a highly competitive race to deliver new treatments for the serious liver disease.

The study of 394 patients with the most common Genotype 1 version of the virus tested the AbbVie regimen in people who had failed to be cured by the older standard treatments of pegylated interferon and ribavirin.

In results issued by AbbVie on Tuesday, nearly half of those in the Phase III trial dubbed Sapphire-II were prior null responders - a particularly difficult to treat group whose virus had no response to treatment with the older drugs.

The impressive cure rate after just 12 weeks of therapy mirrors the results seen last month in another late stage study that tested the all oral AbbVie regimen in potentially less challenging patients who had received no prior treatment for their hepatitis C.

Two percent of patients in the Sapphire-II trial experienced relapse or virologic breakthrough in which the virus rebounds after initially responding to treatment, while the discontinuation rate due to side effects was 1 percent.

Patients in whom there is no detectable levels of the virus in the blood 12 weeks after completing 12 weeks of therapy have achieved SVR, or sustained virologic response, which is considered cured.

Alex Arfaei, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets, said in a research note that AbbVie's regimen "remains underappreciated" and forecast sales reaching $1.6 billion in 2017.

Several companies are developing hepatitis C treatment regimens that do not require injectable interferon, which causes miserable flu like symptoms that lead many patients to discontinue or delay treatment.

Gilead Sciences is widely perceived by industry analysts to be the leader in the all-oral hepatitis C field that is expected to garner billions of dollars in annual sales. Gilead last week had one of its closely watched new drugs approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and Merck & Co are all seen as potential rivals with oral regimens that have shown impressive cure rates and also cut the current treatment duration to 12 weeks or less from the current 24- or 48-week treatment regimens.

Some analysts have said AbbVie's ability to compete could be hampered by a larger number of pills that must be taken than some of the rival regimens.

The AbbVie regimen includes three experimental direct acting antiviral drugs that each attack a different target necessary for virus replication, plus the older drug ribavirin.

The drugs are the protease inhibitor ABT-450, whose effect is boosted by a widely used antiviral called ritonavir; the polymerase inhibitor ABT-333, and ABT-267 from a highly promising new class known as NS5A inhibitors.

The regimen currently involves four pills a day plus typically 2 ribavirin pills a day.

AbbVie, which has four more Phase III trials underway, is also testing its drugs without ribavirin - a medicine that can cause anemia and other side effects. But other companies are shooting for combination regimens that involve just one or two pills a day.

"Gilead will have a convenience advantage," Arfaei said. "However, we do not believe convenience is as important for an 8-12 week treatment regimen that produces a cure compared with for example chronic HIV treatment."

Shares of Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc, which co-developed ABT-450 with AbbVie, were up 22.2 percent to $36.25 on Nasdaq. They are up more than 70 percent since AbbVie released data from the first Phase III trial last month.

AbbVie shares were up 2.1 percent at $52.30 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/10/us-abbvie-study-hepatitisc-idUSBRE9B90KL20131210

The drug combo should be approved later this year

Have a great day
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Hepatitis C Community

Top Hepatitis Answerers
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
683231 tn?1467323017
Auburn, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Answer a few simple questions about your Hep C treatment journey.

Those who qualify may receive up to $100 for their time.
Explore More In Our Hep C Learning Center
image description
Learn about this treatable virus.
image description
Getting tested for this viral infection.
image description
3 key steps to getting on treatment.
image description
4 steps to getting on therapy.
image description
What you need to know about Hep C drugs.
image description
How the drugs might affect you.
image description
These tips may up your chances of a cure.
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.