HCV p7 inhibitor BIT225 posts strong EVR results....

...but is it viable in the new zeitgeist of interferon-free therapies?


Sydney-based Biotron (ASX:BIT) has presented encouraging results from a trial of the use of its prospective Hepatitis C treatment, when coupled with existing therapies.

Patients treated in a phase IIa trial of Biotron's BIT225 drug candidate, combined with approved standard of care (SOC) treatments, mostly demonstrated improvement at three month follow-up.

Of the subjects to have been treated with BIT225, 87% showed a complete early viral response (EVR) – defined as virus levels in the blood below the level of detection.

This compares to 63% who received only SOC treatments interferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin, and backs up data from the four week point of the study showing significantly reduced levels of HCV virus in BIT225-treated patients.

The extent of virus reduction was dose-dependent, with the higher dose having the most effect.

Patients involved in the trial received either 200mg or 400mg doses of BIT225 for 28 days, and then remained on the SOC treatments for another 44 weeks.

Biotron CEO Dr Michelle Miller said the results of the trial were “extremely encouraging.” She said they also show that BIT225 was generally well-tolerated in patients, with the most common potential side effect being nausea, which may be solved by tweaks to the formulation.

Biotron is also in the middle of a phase 1b/IIa trial for BIT225 as a treatment for HIV.

Biotron (ASX:BIT) shares climbed 18.18% to a seven-month high of $0.130 after the results were released on Wednesday.