Experimental AbbVie treatment regimen for hepatitis C produces 96% cure rate

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. — Nearly all patients taking an experimental treatment for hepatitis C developed by AbbVie were cured, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Announcing results of a phase-3 trial of a regimen consisting of three drugs, plus ribavirin, known as a three direct-acting-antiviral, or 3-D regimen. The trial, called SAPPHIRE-II, included 394 patients. Of those patients, 96% of those who had failed a previous treatment regimen experienced sustained virology response, or SVR, meaning they were essentially cured, after 12 weeks of treatment. A second group of 97 patients was put on placebo during the same period, and then given active treatment for 12 weeks afterward.

The 3-D regimen includes ribavirin, a common generic drug used in hepatitis C, as well as the experimental drugs ABT-450/r, ABT-267 and ABT-333.