PEG-Intron Phase II combination data

Schering-Plough (SGP) presented results of an open label Phase II dose-ranging study of PEG-Intron with its Rebetol ribavirin nucleoside analog in 72 patients with chronic hepatitis C and compensated liver disease. PEG-Intron peginterferon alfa-2b is a longer-acting form of SGP's Intron A interferon alfa-2b that uses polyethylene glycol (PEG) technology licensed from Enzon (ENZN). In the trial, patients treated with all doses of PEG-Intron in combination with Rebetol achieved higher rates of sustained virologic response compared to patients receiving the same doses of PEG-Intron alone. The addition of Rebetol increased 48-week sustained virologic response from 0 percent to 17 percent at a PEG-Intron dose of 0.35 ug/kg once per week, while at 0.7 ug/kg of PEG-Intron, Rebetol increased response from 44 percent to 53 percent and at 1.4 ug/kg of PEG-Intron, Rebetol increased response from 42 percent to 60 percent. ...