Protease Inhibitors Alone

[ChinaWhite]

How long before interferon can be discontinued?

[roscoe1]

I have personally been watching Anadys.

[copyman]

I used the 10 yr mark because any trials with the FDA take 7-10 yrs for approval. NOTHING moves fast with the FDA except for frivolous spending like most other goverment agencies.

PS, That is just my guess and hope I'm wrong and it is sooner

[mikesimon]

From: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/587261

Recent Developments in Specifically Targeted Small-Molecule HCV Therapies: Will Interferons Remain Indispensable? (Slides With Transcript)  
Nezam H. Afdhal, MD   Disclosures

"....So, the question that they asked me is what is going to happen to IFN when these new drugs come? I'm thoroughly convinced that at least for a period of time, IFN will act as the platform for most of our future combination therapies. It's hard to see that going, as it is hard to see ribavirin going anywhere fast. Viral enzyme inhibitors, you know hopefully they'll be a big yellow box with multiple different enzyme inhibitors here. And as Dr McHutchison will talk to you later, maybe if we can develop immunomodulators, we can change this paradigm, if in fact immunomodulators are necessary....."

[BelB64]

Why 10 years+  if the inhibitors themselves prove to be effective enough alone. Wouldn't a non interferon combination that works as well or better than the SOC we have now without the side effects get fast track from the US Government?

[copyman]

even if they are testing without interferon it would still be at least 10 years away. I actually think eliminating ribavirin would make tx easier. I believe the riba causes many more problems then interferon. just my opinion.

[BelB64]

Actually there are some non interferon trials either happening or will happen soon. One called INFORM-1 is already in trial using ITMN-191 and R7128 together with ribavirin. One is a polymerase and one is a protease inhibitor.

Also Vertex has bought a company that has inhibitors and will beging testing teleprevir and these inhibitors without interferon later this year. Fingers are crossed for success.

[desrt]

Don't hold your breath. At this point a protease inhibitor / polymerase inhibitor combo is just an idea.