News on Valopicitabine NM283-Protease Inhibitor
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Posted on March 30, 2005 at 07:58:59 PM by Patient

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IDIX) Announces Data Presentations At The
2005 European Association For The Study Of The Liver

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Idenix
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the
discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral and
other infectious diseases, announced today that seven abstracts have
been accepted for presentation at the 40th annual meeting of the
European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), to be held in
Paris, France from April 13-17, 2005.

The abstract contents are available on the EASL web site
(http://www.easl.ch/easl2005/).

Hepatitis C treatment abstracts:

Dr. Nezam Afdhal, Chief of Hepatology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center in Boston and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School,
will present "Enhanced Antiviral Efficacy for Valopicitabine (NM283)
Plus Peg- Interferon in Hepatitis C Patients with HCV Genotype-1
Infection: Results of a Phase IIa Multicenter Trial" in a meeting
session on Sunday, April 17 at 12:00 p.m. Central European Time (CET).
Dr. Afdhal will present full interim 12- week results, and available
longer-term treatment data, from the ongoing phase IIa trial evaluating
NM283 in combination with pegylated interferon in treatment-naive
patients. The preliminary clinical data to date demonstrate a
consistent, rapid and marked anti-HCV activity with this combination in
patients with HCV-1 infection, a historically difficult-to-treat group.

Dr. Xiao-Jian Zhou, Idenix's Associate Director, Clinical Pharmacology,
will present "Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Valopicitabine
(NM283), a New Nucleoside HCV Polymerase Inhibitor: Results From a
Phase I/II Dose- Escalation Trial in Patients with HCV-1 Infection" in
the poster session on Friday, April 15 from 12:30-2:00 p.m. CET. The
data from this clinical trial demonstrate oral dosing of NM283 produces
plasma drug concentrations and antiviral effects that are proportional
to dose. This suggests that NM283 is efficiently absorbed into the
blood stream after administration.

Dr. Vadim Bichko, Idenix's Associate Director, Research, will present
"Enhanced Antiviral Activity of NM107, Alone or in Combination with
Interferon Alfa" in the Friday poster session. The data from this
laboratory study demonstrate that the antiviral effects of NM107, the
parent compound of valopicitabine (NM283), are enhanced when NM107 is
used in combination with interferon alfa. The results from this study
are consistent with the findings to date in the ongoing clinical trial
of NM283 combined with pegylated interferon, reported by Dr. Afdhal
above.

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