Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

Recommended Sources

About Pharma Industry

BNET Pharma provides daily industry trends and news coverage with insights for managers and executives about major manufacturers of pharmaceuticals and medicine. In addition to detailed drug company profiles, we bring you industry analysis on new partnerships, drug patents and products, cost management, investments, pharmaceutical related lawsuits, and a host of other important business issues.

As the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) kicks off its annual confab this week, all eyes will be on efforts to revolutionize the standard of care for hepatitis C.

Most HCV patients are treated with ribavirin and pegylated interferon, a combination that often comes under fire for its 40 percent to 50 percent cure rate and significant side effects including anemia, infections, depression and anxiety. And now, according to research published in the journal Gastroenterology, there’s another side effect to add to that list…one that may warrant a new nickname for the HCV regimen: urdixaflop.

According to the study, 38 percent to 48 percent of men reported that their sexual function was worse after a course of ribavirin and pegylated interferon. The men also saw declines in sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, erectile function and ejaculatory function. Viagra-maker Pfizer is sure to be all over this…

In all seriousness, the data are just one more reason folks are so excited about Phase III drugs like Vertex Pharmaceuticals‘ telaprevir and Schering-Plough’s boceprevir. The two are protease inhibitors that could offer a much-needed new option in HCV, which is why they take center-stage at every major medical meeting where HCV is on the agenda.

This year’s AASLD conference should be no exception, although analysts also are watching competing protease inhibitors like Schering’s SCH-900518, Boehringer Ingelheim’s BI-201335 and Tibotec’s TMC-435350.

For now, the protease inhibitors are being studied as add-ons to ribavirin and interferon, but experts are eager for ways to reduce or eliminate reliance on the standard of care. One such approach, which combined a protease inhibitor with a polymerase inhibitor, made a huge splash at another liver meeting this spring, and updated data are coming at AASLD.

Immunotherapy also may offer a way either to build on or avoid standard of care. GlobeImmune is presenting data at AASLD from a Phase II study combining its HCV vaccine with both ribavirin and interferon, while Idera Pharmaceuticals has data showing its IMO-2125 may be able to stimulate natural interferon production, making that part of the regimen unnecessary.

Limp photo by Flickr user fhwrdh, CC.

Tags: Hepatitis, Hepatitis C, Pharmaceutical Company, Virus, Regimen, GlobeImmune, Trista Morrison

Trista Morrison is a staff writer at BioWorld Today, a daily newspaper that's been covering the biotech industry about as long as there's been a biotech industry to cover.

BNET User Analysis

Voice your 2cents

Web Buzz:

Immunomedics Ignored, HGS Adored as Annual Rheumatology Confab Kicks Off

BNET Pharma - 117 days 3 hours ago

The American College of Rheumatology's annual confab kicks off this weekend, and one item not on the menu is detailed Phase IIb data for
ViroPharma terminates Phase III cytomegalovirus disease trial

Pharmaceutical Business Review - 356 days 18 hours 58 minutes ago

ViroPharma, a biopharmaceutical company, has discontinued its Phase III trial evaluating maribavir used as prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus disease in liver transplant patients. The company also plans to move all the patients on study drug to the current standard of care
Regulators probe diet drug safety after study

FiercePharma - 18 days 15 hours 34 minutes ago

More diet pill news today, and it's not encouraging. European regulators say Abbott Laboratories' Meridia drug should be suspended because of associated risks of stroke and heart attack. The EMEA cited a study of 10,000 patients that suggested taking Meridia--sold in Europe under the brand names Reductil, Reduxade, Zelia, et al.,--put them at a...
Food Emporium Presents "Taste of Australia"

Supermarket News - 25 days 9 hours 26 minutes ago

A&P's 16 Food Emporium banner stores are featuring Australian nuts, oils, cheese, chocolate and premium meats on end caps and in in-store demos. More affordable specialties are a new addition to this year's event."Based on the economy, we were more sensitive to price points and we brought in more basic merchandise than we did last year,"...
Frost & Sullivan Lauds Carl Zeiss Meditec for Dominating the OCT Market for Ophthalmic Applications

Frost & Sullivan - 316 days 7 hours 56 minutes ago

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- March 31, 2009 -- Based on its recent analysis of the optical technologies market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Carl Zeiss Meditec with the 2009 North American Frost & Sullivan Market Leadership Award for its optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology for ophthalmic applications. Carl Zeiss Meditec is a pioneer of OCT...

BNET TalkbackShare your ideas and expertise on this topic

Subscribe to this discussion via Email or RSS

1

kbrichard

10/28/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

Was wondering if the author was a paid employee. Pretty misinformed drool youv'e published here Ms. Morton...FYI the severely side effect laden HCV drug regiem is taken with and not instead of Telaprievier. This whole trying to be funny about a 48 week therepy of hell that didn't work for half those sentenced to liver failure, is pretty god damn despicable and I hope you feel some remorse or shame for stooping to this style journalism. Please save your limp dick editorial sarcasm for some other venue. I can't believe they'd have someone who would go this low and with this peculiar type of sensationalism be involved with such an entity as bnet. Think a few apologies are in order starting with your boss.
2

JackMartin

10/28/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

No apologies needed here (except perhaps from the person who can't copy a name correctly from the byline). Personally, I think its an odd side effect - especially odd that somebody would seek to publish the findings. Not sure when erectile dysfunction became such a serious side effect anyways. All the same - the article covers it nicely. If Viagra can have ridiculously light hearted commercials for the drug, I would say that a light hearted first paragraph in an article about the side effect is fair.
3

David P Hamilton

10/28/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

kbrichard, I'm the editor of this section, so if you've got an issue, feel free to have it out with me. There was clearly no intent to ridicule hepatitis patients in Trista's post. Yes, she made an offhand joke about this particular side effect of the ribavarin-interferon combo, but it obviously wasn't aimed at the folks taking the drugs.

If you think medical black humor is in bad taste, that's entirely your right. But you also have a bone to pick with plenty of doctors -- not to mention the many patients who find dark jokes a comfort of sorts in coping with their own situation.

I obviously don't want anyone ridiculing people's suffering here. At the same time, I don't see the point in being so deadly serious about the coverage of disease and its treatment that we can't poke a bit of fun at medical jargon and unanticipated side effects.

As for how telaprevir is used, let me draw your attention to part of Trista's post you may have missed (emphasis added):
For now, the protease inhibitors are being studied as add-ons to ribavirin and interferon, but experts are eager for ways to reduce or eliminate reliance on the standard of care. One such approach, which combined a protease inhibitor with a polymerase inhibitor, made a huge splash at another liver meeting this spring, and updated data are coming at AASLD.

Btw, Trista's last name is Morrison, not Morton.
4

hgeese

10/28/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

I think that kbrichard really needs to lighten up. Everyone knows that standard of care for HCV sucks. Ms. Morrison uses humor to point out just one more reason why it sucks and draw attention to the very real need for better options FOR PATIENTS. And ultimately that is what drug development is about--better options for patients! She isn't riduculing patients with hepatitis C, she is advocating for them.
5

Trista Morrison

10/28/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

kbrichard - just wanted to apologize personally if I offended you and assure you I meant absolutely no disrespect to HCV patients. This post was intended simply to summarize new research about yet another unpleasant side effect of the standard of care and to emphasize the need for new options, some of which will be showcased at AASLD.

All the best,
Trista
6

Jonathan Vivante C. Villamor

10/29/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

am undergone for oral treatment but hope and pray i will be cure....am so much worried about this...
7

Jonathan Vivante C. Villamor

10/29/09 | Report as spam

hepa b

theirs any hope to cure please help me
8

lalabelle

11/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

I took great offense to this article also.....while black humor has it's place in the world, I DO NOT see it's place in life and death! Obviously the replies I have read here are by people that either don't know anything about living with Hepatitis C, treating it or dying from it.....

The wise ass comment made about the miss-spelling of Ms. Morrison's name was very uncalled for....but expected, common side affects of Hep C and also of Treatment are brain fog, no concentration, confusion, cognitive problems and depression. So, my reply to the person who made the comment is: you are like most of the ignorant ******** I have met on my journey of Hep C since 1994....

While I appreciate your apology Ms. Morrison, it is my hope in the future that you and your editor can do a better job at helping us than adding to the already miserable misinformation that circulates out in the real world. And yes.. I could make my own yellow page book with the listings of all the suck Doctors I have been to thus far...

As for the Editor....I thought your comments were even more reprehencible than Ms. Morrison's so called joke...If I make a joke about Hep C, treating it or dying from it...it is usually to someone that also has it, they have walked in my shoes.

Do you folks here also make crude humor about women having there breast's cut off because of breast cancer or maybe that thier vagina's wither up and dry out do to chemotherapy, thus deeming them shriveled twat's? I would be interested in reading some of those articles as well.

I'm a female, age 51, diagnosed in 1994 at the age of 37, I have chronic Hep C with stage 3 fibrosis, since being diagnosed with Hep C, I have been diagnosed with Severe Osteo Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, + Rhumatoid Arthritis, Chronic Ulcers and Migrain Headaches, I also have no immune sytem left. I'm on my 3rd treatment of INF/RIBA (9 mths into an 18 mth treatment), and yes if I sound angry it may be do to the RIBA RAGE we get do to the Ribavarin, I run between suicide and homicide these days....oh....sorry.....that was my black humor for the day!

Until you have walked in my shoes...don't assume anything is funny....because we are DYING out here!
9

corek1

11/22/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

I find this article offensive to those of us that are inflicted with Hep C b4 you go through what most of us have gone through leave your "silly, harmless" jokes in the editing room. Who the hell thinks urdixaflop if funny mean, mean MEAN!!
Corek1
10

ming333

11/23/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

I took the InterferonA/Ribavarin tx about 10 years ago--absolutely horrible and could not finish it although viral load was zero for awhile. I still have some painful problems left from the tx that seem to be permanent. This is a cancer chemo agent that is a teratogen and also likely to induce chemical menopause. It has the usual dreadful effects--severe weight loss, pain, constant vomiting, hair loss, mental problems, tooth loss, deterioration of leg muscles, so you need two years of PT post therapy. I was not told this, or how fast my white count would drop. I was only told 'oh, you'll feel a little tired the first few weeks.' I was not able to work full-time ever since. Now, I'm still sick, bankrupt from med bills, unemployed and uninsured. Is this a great country or what?
11

hcvslayer

12/10/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

Having had the privilege of treating HCV patients for a few years I am familiar with the insidiousness of the disease and its monopolized pharmaceutical tx. For those of you who raise up against dark humor, lighten up. Those on Tx I recommend smoking cannabis, primarily Sativas. Sativa / Indica hybrids if you are insomniac or deal with pain. It will increase your success of finishing Tx course along with higher % finding a negative HCV Qualitative 6 months post Tx. Cannabis proven to slow viral replication, thus works in conjunction of program meds. Smoke or eat natural Cannabis. Marinol does not work, never worked with any of my patients! love rudy
12

kbrichard

12/11/09 | Report as spam

RE: Hepatitis C Drugs Kill the Virus...and Your Sex Drive

Please research well and speak with your doctor before pursuing taking drugs on your own. For those "lightened up" health care advisers recommending HCV patients initiate self prescribed marijuana, you should know better. A wide variety of circumstances are important to account for. Rudy's HCVSLAYER advice could in fact help further wreck a fibrosis liver..

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18242211

Even NORML has it right.

Patients diagnosed with hepatitis C frequently report using cannabis to treat both symptoms of the disease as well as the nausea associated with antiviral therapy.[1-2] An observational study by investigators at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) found that hepatitis C patients who used cannabis were significantly more likely to adhere to their treatment regimen than patients who didn't use it. [3] Nevertheless, no clinical trials assessing the use of cannabinoids for this indication are available in the scientific literature.

Preclinical data indicates that the endocannabinoid system may moderate aspects of chronic liver disease[4-5] and that cannabinoids may reduce inflammation in experimental models of hepatitis.[6] However, other clinical reviews have reported a positive association between daily cannabis use and the progression of liver fibrosis (excessive tissue build up) and steatosis (excessive fat build up) in select hepatitis C patients. [7-9]

As a result, experts hold divergent opinions regarding the therapeutic use of cannabinoids for hepatitis C treatment. Writing in the October 2006 issue of the European Journal of Gastroenterology, investigators from Canada and Germany concluded that cannabis' "potential benefits of a higher likelihood of treatment success [for hepatitis c patients] appear to outweigh [its] risks." [10] By contrast, other experts discourage the use of cannabis in patients with chronic hepatitis until further studies are performed.[11-14]
http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=7010

Please Google fibrosis HCV and marijuana cannabis yourselves.