VICTRELIS, Merck's Investigational Medicine, Added to Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin Achieved Significantly Higher SVR Rates In Treatment-Failure Patients with Chronic HCV Genotype 1 Compared to Control

Merck MRK, known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, reported that final results from a Phase III study of VICTRELIS, its investigational oral hepatitis C protease inhibitor, added to peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin therapy demonstrated significantly higher sustained virologic response rates in adult patients who failed previous treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 compared to a control group receiving peginterferon alfa-2a and ribavirin alone, the primary endpoint of the 48-week study. Significantly more patients in the treatment group receiving VICTRELIS achieved SVR, 64 percent (86/134) vs. 21 percent (14/67) for control, p<0.0001; and fewer patients receiving VICTRELIS relapsed after the end of treatment, 12 percent (11/95) vs. 33 percent (7/21) for control. These results were presented for the first time today as part of a late-breaker poster session [Poster #1366] at The International Liver Congress™ / 46th European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) annual meeting.