The AbbVie investigational, pan-genotypic, ribavirin-free regimen of glecaprevir (ABT-493)/Pibrentasvir (ABT-530) (G/P) achieved high SVR12 rates after eight weeks of treatment in Japanese patients with genotype 1 (GT1) chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections without cirrhosis.
"These initial data in GT1-infected patients, which is the most common type of hepatitis C in Japan, may help to further advance our understanding on how we care for patients in this country," Dr. Stefan Zeuzem, chief of the department of medicine at the Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany, said. "In the CERTAIN-1 study with the G/P regimen, we see for the first time that eight weeks of treatment achieved high cure rates in these GT1-infected Japanese patients without cirrhosis."
One of the highest rates of hepatitis C infection in the industrialized world in Japan with almost a million people living with the illness; 60 to 70 percent of those people have GT1 chronic HCV. In the CERTAIN-1 study, the majority of the patients were over 65 years old which is representative of the age of most people in Japan who have this disease.
"Due to patient characteristics and virological considerations, people living with HCV in Japan have specific treatment challenges and needs," AbbVie Chief Scientific Officer Michael Severino said. "AbbVie's dedicated G/P registrational clinical development program in Japan reflects our continued commitment to make a real difference in the lives of Japanese patients."
