Achillion Data Boosts J&J Combo Potential
This article was originally published in Scrip
Hepatitis C data announced by Achillion Pharmaceuticals on Sept. 17 that the Johnson & Johnson-owned drug could play a key role in reducing cure time and even bringing down the cost of the pricey drugs.
Achillion announced the data from a handful of small studies of odalasvir, an NS5A inhibitor, in combination with Gilead's mega-blockbuster cure Sovaldi (sofosbuvir). The Phase II studies includes only a small number of patients treated for either six or eight weeks, but showed that the drugs could give 100% cure rate to patients 12 weeks after treatment.
Twelve patients completed eight weeks of treatment consisting of 50 mg of odalasvir and 400 mg of sofosbuvir administered once daily – all of the patients had received no previous therapies and had HCV genotype 1.
Another 18 genotype 1 patients received six weeks of treatment of the same regimen and 100% remained free of the virus at 12 weeks after treatment.
Achillion previously released Phase II data for odalasvir that showed the combo produced a 100% sustained virological response at 24 weeks in 12 patients.
Earlier this year, Achillion granted J&J the right to develop and commercialize combination therapies using all of its HCV assets for $1.1bn. J&J is also conducting a Phase I study of a triple combination including odalasvir, Sovaldi and a product J&J acquired from Alios.
The goal for HCV drug developers is to find a pan-genotypic, all-oral regimen that doesn't include a ribavirin backbone. HCV drug developers have been pushing to also find ways to cure patients faster – currently, most regimens take about 12 weeks. Both Gilead and J&J, amongst others, are testing six- and four-week regimens in hopes of achieving the same levels of efficacy.
Achillion's stock got a much-needed boost from the results, jumping 7.38% to $8.58. The stock has suffered over the last year as Gilead has taken center-stage on the HCV front with Sovaldi. The deal with J&J was also a disappointment to investors – shareholders had been hoping that Achillion could be a potential take out target for a big pharma.