CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) – Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it stopped part of a midstage clinical study evaluating a combination of two hepatitis C drugs.
The company said the combination of telaprevir and VX-222 was not working. The study was designed to evaluate telaprevir and VX-222 alone, without other hepatitis C therapies. In October, Vertex stopped another portion of the trial that also involved only telaprevir and VX-222. That part of the study used a lower dose of VX-222.
The company said there are three remaining arms in the study. Two arms of the study are testing a combination of telaprevir, VX-222, and two older drugs, Pegasys and Copegus. The third arm tests telaprevir, VX-222, and Copegus without Pegasys. Each arm of the study is intended to last 12 weeks.
Telaprevir is Vertex’s primary drug candidate. It asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve marketing of telaprevir in November, and it is hoping the agency will respond by May.
Date: December 21, 2010
Source: Associated Press
