Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation's Liver Drug Shows Up to 85% Viral Cure in Phase 2

BOSTON and RIDGEFIELD, Conn., Nov. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Final Phase 2b data from Boehringer Ingelheim's interferon (IFN)-free Phase 2b SOUND-C2 study showed that up to 85 percent of genotype 1b (GT1b) hepatitis C (HCV) patients achieved sustained virologic response (SVR or viral cure) 12 and 24 weeks after the end of treatment with the investigational treatment regimen of faldaprevir (BI 201335) and BI 207127, in combination with ribavirin (RBV). A viral cure was achieved for 69 percent of all patients included in the study (both GT1a and GT1b HCV infections), and includes patients with advanced liver disease that are more challenging to cure.

Pivotal Phase 3 trials evaluating an IFN-free regimen of faldaprevir, BI 207127 and ribavirin are now being initiated.

"Final results from this Phase 2b study show potential for an interferon-free HCV cure for patients with chronic HCV that historically have been among the most difficult to cure," said Stefan Zeuzem, M.D., Chief of the Department of Medicine and Professor of Medicine at the Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, and lead investigator of the study. "The SOUND-C2 trial provides valuable information regarding the types of patients that are more likely to respond to treatment with faldaprevir and BI 207127, which may be useful for attaining optimal antiviral outcomes in the clinical setting."

Comprehensive results from SOUND-C2 will be presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), in Boston, MA.

  • An oral presentation of final results from the SOUND-C2 study, including an analysis of predictors of treatment response, will be presented on Tuesday, November 13 (ID# 232)
  • An oral presentation of results from a sub-analysis of patients with compensated liver cirrhosis from the SOUND-C2 study will be presented on Sunday, November 11 (ID# 84)
  • A poster presentation of a comparison of SVR4, SVR12 and SVR24 results from SOUND-C2 will be presented on Sunday, November 11 (ID# 778)

The SOUND-C2 study, which includes compounds each of which targets HCV in a different way (polymodal therapy*), is the largest Phase 2 IFN-free HCV trial to date, enrolling 362 HCV GT1 patients, the most difficult genotype to treat successfully and the most common genotype found in the US. Nine percent of patients in the SOUND-C2 study had compensated liver cirrhosis due to HCV (damaged or scarred liver tissue). As part of the study, investigators performed a detailed analysis of patient and virus characteristics to explore the likelihood of a patient's response to treatment with faldaprevir and BI 207127 in combination with RBV (regression analysis). HCV GT1 subtype, patient IL-28b genome type and patient gender were identified as significant predictors of treatment success.

*Polymodal therapy involves treatment that combines compounds that each work with different modes of action to inhibit viral replication, as seen with faldaprevir + BI 207127 + ribavirin.

"We are looking forward to continuing development of our HCVersoprogram and are now initiating Phase 3 clinical trials investigating interferon-free HCV treatment with faldaprevir and BI 207127," said Peter Piliero, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Through HCVersoBoehringer Ingelheim is striving to deliver new solutions that consider real-world challenges faced by patients and clinicians."

Final Results from SOUND-C2 and Predictors of Response
SOUND-C2 was an open-label, randomized, Phase 2b study that enrolled 362 treatment-naive HCV GT1 patients into five different treatment arms evaluating polymodal, IFN-free HCV treatment with Boehringer Ingelheim's investigational compounds faldaprevir and BI 207127, with and without RBV, for up to 40 weeks.

SOUND-C2 Trial Design and Results SVR12 and 24


SVR

Group

Faldaprevir

BI 207127

RBV

Duration
(wks)

All
Patients

GT1a

GT1b

A

N=81

120 mg QD

600 mg TID

Y

16

48 (59%)

13/34 (38%)

35/47 (75%)

B

N=80

120 mg QD

600 mg TID

Y

28

47 (59%)

14/32 (44%)

33/48 (69%)

C

N=77

120 mg QD

600 mg TID

Y

40

40 (52%)

16/34 (47%)

24/43 (56%)

D

N=78

120 mg QD

600 mg BID

Y

28

54 (69%)

13/30 (43%)

41/48 (85%)

E

N=46

120 mg QD

600 mg TID

N

28

18 (39%)

2/18 (11%)

16/28 (57%)

In SOUND-C2, regression analysis identified HCV GT1 subtype, patient IL-28b genome type and gender as significant predictors of treatment response. Patients with GT1b were shown to be six times more likely to achieve SVR as compared to patients with HCV GT1a (95 percent CI; p<0.0001). Patients with the CC subtype of the IL-28b genome were more than four times as likely to achieve SVR compared to the CT and TT subtype of the genome.

The most common adverse events (AEs) in SOUND-C2 were skin changes (photosensitivity, rash), gastrointestinal (GI) disorders (vomiting, diarrhea), and jaundice due to transient benign bilirubin elevation (unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia). Treatment discontinuation due to AEs correlated with increased treatment duration, with discontinuations ranging from 4.9 percent in Arm A (16 weeks) to 24.7 percent in Arm C (40 weeks), which was the longest treatment duration evaluation in the study.

Results from SOUND-C2 Sub-analysis of Patients with Compensated Liver Cirrhosis due to HCV
Data from the SOUND-C2 study are the first data for an IFN-free regimen in HCV patients with compensated liver cirrhosis. This sub-analysis included 33 patients (nine percent of the study population) with compensated liver cirrhosis, as confirmed by either biopsy or Fibroscan. Investigators noted that data from this analysis support the continued development of this investigational IFN-free treatment regimen in Phase 3 trials for patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.

SOUND-C2 Sub-Analysis in Patients with Compensated Liver Cirrhosis


1335QD/7127TID/RBV

16, 28 or 40 weeks

Pooled (n=21)

1335QD/7127BID/RBV

28 weeks (n=9)

1335QD/7127TID
28 weeks (n=3)


GT1a

(n=7)

GT1b

(n=14)

GT1a

(n=4)

GT1b

(n=5)

GT1a

(n=0)

GT1b

(n=3)

SVR12 / 24, n (%)

3 (43%)

8 (57%)

2 (50%)

4 (80%)

N/A

1 (33%)

DCs due to AEs,
n (%)

6* (29%)

1 (11%)

0

DCs due to rash,
n (%)

3* (14%)

0

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