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- PMLiVE

Warehousing of HCV patients reaches new high

December 19, 2013 | HCV, Warehousing, interferon 

A new study conducted by Research Partnership reveals that 90% of physicians treating HCV patients in the US have reported they are now “warehousing” patients (holding off treatment) in expectation of more efficacious and tolerable new therapies.

A new study conducted by Research Partnership reveals that 90% of physicians treating HCV patients in the US have reported they are now “warehousing” patients (holding off treatment) in expectation of more efficacious and tolerable new therapies.In a special report conducted alongside our regular Therapy Watch tracking study into HCV, hepatologists and infectious disease specialists were asked specific questions around the issue of warehousing and new treatments. The survey reveals that over 9 in 10 doctors are now warehousing some of their patient caseload.For the past two decades, the therapies available for HCV have been very limited, offering low success rates and harsh side effects. New drugs from Vertex (Incivek) and Merck (Victrelis) have been welcomed because they are more effective, but they still need to be given with Interferon. Interferon is the component that causes the strongest side effects, so a lot of patients still find the existing available treatment programmes, which can take up to a year to complete, intolerable. The race is on for a number of pharmaceutical companies to release new interferon-free regimens, which are currently in the late stages of development and due to be released within the next 6-12 months.

Gilead’s interferon-free product sofosbuvir and Johnson & Johnson’s simeprevir appear to lead the field – receiving the highest levels of spontaneous and prompted awareness. However, Abbvie’s products ABT 267, ABT 333 and ABT 450 remain contenders for market share, scoring higher than J&J’s simeprevir in terms of likelihood to prescribe amongst doctors who are aware of the drugs.

Associate Director Darren Kottler, who manages the survey, commented “The findings clearly illustrate that physicians are keen to start their patients on interferon-free alternatives. For some time Gilead and J&J appeared to lead the race, but it looks like Abbvie’s announcement that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were going to fast-track its all-oral triple direct-acting antiviral DAA combination therapy, has had an impact on physician perception.

We will have to wait and see how this all plays out in the market once these new products are released. The new interferon-free regimens and ultimately new generation of protease-inhibitors are certainly going to be positive for many patients currently awaiting treatment for HCV”.

The report, Warehousing in HCV, has been published and is now available to purchase. Those who purchase the report will receive a complimentary warehousing in HCV infographic. Click here to find out more.

We are one of the largest independent healthcare market research and consulting agencies in the world. Trusted partner to the global pharmaceutical industry, we use our expertise and experience to deliver intelligent, tailor-made solutions. We provide strategic recommendations that go beyond research, helping our clients to answer their fundamental business challenges. Find out more at http://bit.ly/1J4JDcq

This content was provided by Research Partnership

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