Bristol-Myers Squibb Presents Phase III Data Demonstrating that Investigational All-oral Daclatasvir and Asunaprevir Therapy Achieved SVR12 Rates of up to 90% Among Broad Range of Genotype 1b Hepatitis C Patients

• Results of the HALLMARK-Dual study include data among genotype 1b cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic, treatment-naïve, non-responder, and peginterferon/ribavirin ineligible and intolerant patients
• Study reinforces the potential of daclatasvir-based regimens to treat HCV patients with high unmet needs
• Data to be presented during late-breaker session at EASL The International Liver Congress^TM

Category: R&D News

Thursday, April 10, 2014 7:00 am EDT

"Daclatasvir has unique scientific characteristics that support ongoing research for its use in multiple all-oral HCV regimens"

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) today announced Phase III results from the global HALLMARK-Dual study investigating the all-oral, interferon- and ribavirin-free regimen of daclatasvir (DCV), a NS5A inhibitor, and asunaprevir (ASV), a NS3 inhibitor, among genotype 1b hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients. Results showed that the 24-week regimen achieved an overall sustained virologic response (a functional cure) 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR₁₂) among treatment-naïve (90%), peginterferon/ribavirin non-responder (82%), and peginterferon/ribavirin ineligible/intolerant (82%) patients, including cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients (84% and 85%). In the study the DCV+ASV regimen was generally well tolerated. These data will be presented this week at the 49th annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) The International Liver Congress^TM in London, April 9-13.

Globally, there are 170 million people infected with HCV, with genotype 1 being the most prevalent. There are 9 million people infected in Europe, where there is a high prevalence of HCV genotype 1b.

“Not only was the daclatasvir and asunaprevir regimen highly effective among study participants, it was also very well tolerated, even among sicker patients with more advanced liver disease and higher unmet needs,” said lead study investigator Professor Michael P. Manns, director of the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology at Hannover Medical School, Germany. “Despite a rapidly evolving HCV treatment paradigm, physicians and patients remain in need of new all-oral, interferon- and ribavirin-free regimens that have the potential to achieve virologic cure across a broad range of patients, including those with advanced liver disease and cirrhosis.”

These data were part of the company’s recent DCV and ASV new drug application (NDA) submissions to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and helped support the validated marketing authorization application to the European Medicines Agency for the use of DCV in combination with other agents for the treatment of adults with HCV with compensated liver disease, including genotypes 1, 2, 3, and 4. These data are comparable to a similar Phase III study of this regimen in Japanese patients, which led to the submission of a New Drug Application with Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency.

“Daclatasvir has unique scientific characteristics that support ongoing research for its use in multiple all-oral HCV regimens,” said Brian Daniels, MD, senior vice president, Global Development and Medical Affairs, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “In addition to the HALLMARK-Dual study, we are pleased to be presenting data at EASL on our investigational 3DAA fixed-dose-combination, as well as daclatasvir in combination with other HCV compounds.”

Study Design and Results

This Phase III multinational clinical trial involved 116 sites in 18 countries, including countries that have a high prevalence of genotype 1b such as Korea and Taiwan. In the study, treatment-naïve patients (n=205) received DCV 60 mg once daily plus ASV 100 mg twice daily for 12 weeks, and 102 patients received matching placebo for 12 weeks. The DCV+ASV treatment-naïve group continued treatment through week 24; placebo recipients entered another DCV+ASV study. The peginterferon/ribavirin-ineligible/intolerant (n=235) and non-responder patients (n=205) received the same doses of DCV and ASV for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR₁₂).

Virologic Response

• 90% of treatment-naïve patients achieved SVR₁₂
• 82% of patients with prior null or partial response to peginterferon/ribavirin (non-responders) achieved SVR₁₂
• 82% of peginterferon/ribavirin ineligible/intolerant patients achieved SVR₁₂
  • Among peginterferon/ribavirin ineligible/intolerant patients, SVR₁₂ was achieved by patients with anemia/neutropenia (91%); depression (80%) and compensated advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis with thrombocytopenia (73%).

Results among Cirrhotic Patients treated with DCV+ASV

• At baseline, 33 treatment-naïve, 63 non-responders, and 111 ineligible/intolerant patients had cirrhosis. Cirrhotic patients made up ~32% of the study population.

• SVR rates were similar in cirrhotic (84%) and non-cirrhotic (85%) patients.

The regimen used in this Phase III study resulted in low rates of discontinuation (1-3%) due to adverse events (AEs). In addition, the rate of serious adverse events (SAEs) was low (5-7%). Headache was the most common AE in the study (24-25%). No deaths occurred, and no clinically meaningful differences were observed in frequencies of SAEs, AEs leading to discontinuation, or grade 3/4 ALT/AST (liver enzymes) elevations in patients with or without cirrhosis. Importantly, all grade 3/4 ALT/AST elevations observed were reversible and resolved off-treatment.

About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver and is transmitted through direct contact with infected blood and blood products. Up to 90 percent of those infected with hepatitis C will not spontaneously clear the virus and will become chronically infected. According to the World Health Organization, up to 20 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis; of those, up to 25 percent may progress to liver cancer.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb’s HCV Portfolio

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s research efforts are focused on advancing late-stage compounds to deliver the most value to patients with hepatitis C. At the core of our pipeline is daclatasvir (DCV), an investigational NS5A replication complex inhibitor that has been studied in more than 5,500 patients as part of multiple direct-acting antiviral (DAA) based combination therapies. DCV has shown a low drug-drug interaction profile, supporting its potential use in multiple treatment regimens and in people with co-morbidities.

Daclatasvir is being investigated in combination with sofosbuvir in high unmet need patients, such as pre- and post-transplant patients, HIV/HCV co-infected patients, and patients with genotype 3, as part of the ongoing Phase III ALLY Program.

In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Bristol-Myers Squibb’s investigational DCV Dual Regimen Breakthrough Therapy Designation for use as a combination therapy in the treatment of genotype 1b HCV infection.

In 2013, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s investigational all-oral 3DAA Regimen (daclatasvir/ asunaprevir/BMS-791325) also received Breakthrough Therapy Designation, which helped to expedite the start of the ongoing Phase III UNITY Program. Study populations include non-cirrhotic naïve, cirrhotic naïve and previously treated patients. The daclatasvir 3DAA regimen is being studied as a fixed-dose-combination treatment with twice daily dosing.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bmsnews.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that clinical trials of these compounds will support regulatory filings, or that DCV or any other compounds mentioned in this release will receive regulatory approval or, if approved, that they will become commercially successful products. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

EASL The International Liver Congress is a registered trademark of European Association for the Study of the Liver.

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Source

Cost analysis of sofosbuvir/ribavirin versus sofosbuvir/simeprevir for genotype 1 HCV in interferon ineligible/intolerant individuals

Hepatology

Accepted Article (Accepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in future.)

Viral Hepatitis

Liesl M. Hagan^1,*, Mark S. Sulkowski² and Raymond F. Schinazi¹

DOI: 10.1002/hep.27151

Copyright © 2014 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

Keywords: Olysio; Sovaldi; direct-acting antiviral agent; interferon-free

Abstract

Background: Treatment guidance for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) released by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) offer two options for interferon-ineligible/intolerant individuals with genotype 1 infection: sofosbuvir/ribavirin (SOF/RBV) for 24 weeks, or sofosbuvir/simeprevir (SOF/SMV) for 12 weeks. A 24-week course of SOF/RBV costs approximately US$169,000, with sustained virologic response (SVR) rates ranging from 52-84%; 12 weeks of SOF/SMV costs approximately $150,000, with SVR between 89% and 100%. Because SOF/SMV is currently used off-label, debate exists among physicians and payers about whether it should be prescribed and covered. This paper presents a cost-effectiveness analysis of these two treatment regimens accounting for costs of drugs, treatment-related medical care, re-treatment for individuals who do not achieve SVR, and natural history of continued HCV infection after failed re-treatment. The model uses a lifetime horizon and a societal perspective. Results: In the base case scenario, SOF/SMV dominated SOF/RBV in a modeled 50-year-old cohort of treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced subjects, excluding those who failed prior therapy with telaprevir or boceprevir. SOF/SMV yielded lower costs and more quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) for the average subject compared to SOF/RBV ($165,336 and 14.69 QALYs vs. $243,586 and 14.45 QALYs, respectively). In base case cost-analysis, the SOF/SMV treatment strategy saved $91,590 per SVR compared to SOF/RBV. Under all one-way sensitivity scenarios, SOF/SMV remained dominant and resulted in cost savings. Conclusions: These results suggest that a 12-week course of SOF/SMV is a more cost-effective treatment for genotype 1 CHC than 24 weeks of SOF/RBV among interferon-ineligible/intolerant individuals, supporting the AASLD/IDSA guidance and offering implications for both clinical and regulatory decision-making as well as pharmaceutical pricing. (Hepatology 2014;)

Source

Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir for chronic HCV genotype 1b infection

Hepatology

Accepted Article (Accepted, unedited articles published online and citable. The final edited and typeset version of record will appear in future.)

Viral Hepatitis

Hiromitsu Kumada MD¹, Yoshiyuki Suzuki MD¹, Kenji Ikeda MD¹, Joji Toyota MD², Yoshiyasu Karino MD², Kazuaki Chayama MD³, Yoshiiku Kawakami MD³, Akio Ido MD⁴, Kazuhide Yamamoto MD⁵, Koichi Takaguchi MD⁶, Namiki Izumi MD⁷, Kazuhiko Koike MD⁸, Tetsuo Takehara MD⁹, Norifumi Kawada MD¹⁰, Michio Sata MD¹¹, Hidetaka Miyagoshi¹², Timothy Eley PhD¹³, Fiona McPhee PhD¹³, Andrew Damokosh PhD¹³, Hiroki Ishikawa¹², Eric Hughes MD^13,*

DOI: 10.1002/hep.27113

Copyright © 2014 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseasews

Publication History
Accepted manuscript online: 6 MAR 2014 06:10AM EST
Manuscript Accepted: 28 FEB 2014
Manuscript Revised: 21 FEB 2014
Manuscript Received: 10 FEB 2014

Keywords: Direct-acting antiviral; nonresponder; interferon-ineligible; interferon-intolerant; all-oral

Abstract

All-oral combinations of direct-acting antivirals may improve efficacy and safety outcomes for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, particularly those who are poor candidates for current interferon/ribavirin-based regimens. In this open-label, phase 3 study, 135 interferon-ineligible/intolerant and 87 nonresponder patients with chronic HCV genotype 1b infection were enrolled at 24 centers in Japan. Patients received daclatasvir 60 mg once daily plus asunaprevir 100 mg twice daily for 24 weeks. The primary end point was sustained virologic response 24 weeks after treatment (SVR₂₄). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01497834). SVR₂₄ was achieved by 87.4% of interferon-ineligible/intolerant patients and 80.5% of nonresponder (null and partial) patients; rates were similar in cirrhotic (90.9%) and non-cirrhotic (84.0%) patients, and in patients with IL28B CC (84.5%) or non-CC (84.8%) genotypes. Fourteen patients in each group (12.6%) discontinued dual therapy, mainly due to adverse events or lack of efficacy. Nine nonresponder patients received additional treatment with peginterferon/ribavirin per protocol-defined criteria. The rate of serious adverse events was low (5.9%) and varied among patients. The most common adverse events were nasopharyngitis, increased ALT and AST, headache, diarrhea, and pyrexia.

Conclusion: Interferon-free, ribavirin-free all oral therapy with daclatasvir and asunaprevir for 24 weeks is well tolerated and can achieve a high rate of SVR in patients with HCV genotype 1b who were ineligible, intolerant, or had not responded to prior interferon-based therapy. (Hepatology 2014;)

Source

HCV Regimen: No Interferon, No Ribavirin, No Problem

Meeting Coverage

Published: Nov 8, 2013 | Updated: Nov 8, 2013

Coverage of Hepatitis C Virus is supported in part by an independent educational grant from AbbVie Pharmaceuticals.

This report is part of a 12-month Clinical Context series.

By Ed Susman , Contributing Writer, MedPage Today

Reviewed by F. Perry Wilson, MD, MSCE; Instructor of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

Action Points

• Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Note that in this uncontrolled trial of patients with HCV, the combination of daclatasvir plus asunaprevir was very effective in inducing virologic response rates.
• Be aware that the trial only enrolled patients who had failed or were ineligible for interferon therapy.

WASHINGTON -- Patients who failed to respond to standard treatment for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection achieved greater than 80% sustained virologic response at 24 weeks with an all-oral regimen that eschewed both interferon and ribavirin, researchers reported here.

Among 135 patients who were either ineligible for interferon therapy or who were intolerant of the treatment, 87.4% achieved a sustained virologic response -- basically a treatment cure, reported Kazuaki Chayama, MD, PhD, professor of medicine and director of Hiroshima University Hospital.

In his plenary session report at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, Chayama also reported that 80.5% of 87 previous non-responders or partial responders achieved a sustained virologic response at 24 weeks.

He said that the response at 12 weeks was virtually the same as at 24 weeks: 88.1% of those ineligible or intolerant of interferon-based therapy reached the milestone compared with 80.5% of the non-responders or partial responders achieving a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks.

"Overall, 84.7% of these patients with limited therapeutic options and those patients typically associated with poor responses to other therapies were able to achieve a sustained virologic response," he said.

The 135 patients in the study received daclatasvir 60 mg once daily plus asunaprevir 100 mg twice daily. The researchers also enrolled 87 non-responders to previous therapy who received the same treatment regimen.

"Current treatment for chronic hepatitis C virus infection consists of pegylated interferon/ribavirin combined with a direct-acting antiviral," he explained. "In Japan, many patients are excluded from therapy due to the combined effect of an aging Japanese population with chronic hepatitis C virus and the poor tolerability profile with peginterferon/ribavirin-based therapy in this population."

He noted that although telaprevir/peginterferon/ribavirin therapy was approved for both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced patients, the efficacy in nonresponder patients with hepatitis C virus genotype-1 was insufficient -- about one-third of patients responded.

The two investigative agents attack the virus in different ways. Daclatasvir is a potent NS5A replication complex inhibitor with pan-genotypic antiviral activity. Asunaprevir is a potent NS3 protease inhibitor with antiviral activity against genotypes 1, 4, 5, and 6. Chayama said the phase III study he described follows successful phase II studies showing a strong impact on patients with genotype 1b.

The median age of the 222 participants in the trial was 62.5, about 35% were men, and about 10% were diagnosed with cirrhosis. Baseline factors, including male gender, advanced age, high baseline hepatitis C virus RNA, and cirrhosis, did not appear to have an impact on response rates, Chayama said.

Overall 12.6% of the patients in the study discontinued therapy -- 6.8% due to lack of efficacy and 5% due to adverse events. Chayama said 5.6% of patients experienced serious adverse events. There were no deaths in the study.

Although the study was conducted among a Japanese population, Michael Fried, MD, professor of medicine and director of the University of North Carolina Liver Center in Chapel Hill, told MedPage Today, "These results can be extrapolated to an American or European hepatitis C virus population that had genotype 1 infection."

"It will work in this population but it will be tested in this population as well. These drugs will have to be more broadly studied. As you have seen if we get the right combination of drugs we can get successful results," Fried said.

The Japanese population mainly had genotype 1b infections, he said. Yet the success rate in achieving sustained virologic response was greater than 80%. "When I first started treating hepatitis C virus infection in the 1990s we were getting sustained virologic response rate in the 7% area, and to be getting response in the 80% to 90% levels we are seeing today is phenomenal."

He acknowledged that historically genotype 1 hepatitis C infection has been considered a more difficult disease to treat than genotypes 2 or 3, but in studies presented at The Liver Meeting 2013, "What has emerged is that genotype 3 is the new genotype 1. With these new drugs I think there has been a surprise that we get suboptimal results with genotype 3."

Primary source: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases
Source reference: Chayama M, et al "All-oral combination of daclatasvir plus asunaprevir in interferon ineligible naive/intolerant and nonresponder Japanese patients chronically infected with HCV genotype 1b: Results from a phase 3 trial" AASLD 2013.

Source

Also See: BMS Submits First All-Oral, Interferon-Free and Ribavirin-Free Treatment Regimen for Regulatory Review in Japan for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

Bristol seeks Japan approval of all-oral hepatitis C treatment

Sat Nov 2, 2013 9:30am EDT

* 84.7 pct of difficult-to-treat patients cured in trial

* Japan has about 1.2 million patients with chronic hepatitis C

By Bill Berkrot

Nov 2 (Reuters) - Bristol-Myers Squibb Co has filed with Japanese health regulators seeking approval of its experimental all-oral combination of hepatitis C treatments, the U.S. drugmaker said on Saturday.

The submission with Japan's Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency marks the first time that any drugmaker has filed for approval of a hepatitis C treatment regimen that does not include either of the standard older treatments - the injected, difficult-to-tolerate interferon, or ribavirin, a pill.

Gilead Sciences Inc, widely seen as the leader in a crowded race to develop highly effective, interferon-free treatments for the serious liver disease, has sought U.S. approval of its highly regarded anti-viral drug sofosbuvir in combination with ribavirin. A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel last week voted unanimously to recommend its approval.

The Bristol-Myers filing was based on data from a Phase III study of Japanese patients who either could not tolerate interferon, which causes miserable flu-like symptoms, or those who had previously failed to be helped by treatment with the older drugs - a particularly tough-to-treat patient population.

Patients in the trial were given a combination of daclatasvir, from a promising new class of drugs called NS5A inhibitors, and the protease inhibitor asunaprevir for 24 weeks. Those who had no detectable levels of the virus in their blood 24 weeks after completing the therapy were deemed to be cured, a measure known as SVR24, for sustained virologic response.

The overall cure rate in the 222-patient study was 84.7 percent, according to the data to be presented next week at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) meeting in Washington.

Of those who were either ineligible for or intolerant of treatment with interferon, the cure rate was 87.4 percent, while 80.5 percent of past nonresponders to the older drugs were deemed cured.

"The Phase III study results of daclatasvir plus asunaprevir are exciting to see, especially in this difficult-to-treat patient population," Kazuaki Chayama, the study's lead investigator from Hiroshima University, said in a statement.

Twenty-eight patients dropped out of the study - a 12.6 percent discontinuation rate - and about 6 percent, or 13 patients, reported serious side effects, primarily elevated liver enzymes, an indication of inflammation.

JAPAN FOCUS

Bristol-Myers has made Japan a particular focus of its all-oral efforts at tackling the hepatitis C virus, which if left untreated can cause cirrhosis, liver cancer or the need for a transplant.

About 1.2 million people in Japan suffer from hepatitis C. The patients tend to be older than those in other developed countries and about 70 percent have Genotype 1b, a form of the virus with very low response rates to the older treatments.

Several other companies are also developing all-oral hepatitis C treatments, including AbbVie Inc, Merck & Co and Johnson & Johnson, and expect to be able to shorten treatment duration to 12 weeks from the current 24- or 48-week regimens.

Bristol early next year plans to begin Phase III testing of an all-oral, three-drug combination that adds BMS791325 - a non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitor - to the two drugs tested in the Japanese study. The company envisions that its three-drug therapy will involve one combination pill taken twice a day for a 12-week course of treatment.

About 170 million people worldwide are infected with the hepatitis C virus. Some analysts believe the market for all-oral hepatitis C treatments could reach $20 billion as many more people get tested for the virus, given new testing recommendations, very high cure rates, shorter treatment durations and tolerable side effects seen with the newer drugs in clinical trials.

It is believed that tens of thousands of hepatitis C patients have delayed treatment while awaiting the new drugs expected to start reaching the market next year in order to avoid the unpleasant side effects of interferon. Physicians would also like to see regimens that do not require ribavirin, which can cause anemia, rash and other side effects.

Source

Also See: BMS Submits First All-Oral, Interferon-Free and Ribavirin-Free Treatment Regimen for Regulatory Review in Japan for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

BMS Submits First All-Oral, Interferon-Free and Ribavirin-Free Treatment Regimen for Regulatory Review in Japan for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Infection

• An overall SVR₂₄ rate of 84.7% was achieved in Phase III study of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) in high unmet need genotype 1b patient population
• DCV+ASV achieved 87.4% SVR₂₄ rates in interferon-ineligible/intolerant patients and 91.9% SVR₂₄ among this population aged 65+, providing potential treatment alternative for many in Japan who currently have no options
• In this study, the DCV+ASV regimen had low rates of discontinuation (5%) due to adverse events, and low rates of serious adverse events (5.9%)
• Data presentation will lead AASLD Viral Hepatitis Presidential Plenary session on Tuesday, November 5

Saturday, November 2, 2013 9:00 am EDT

PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE: BMY) today announced the submission of a New Drug Application (NDA) to Japan’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency seeking the world’s first interferon-free and ribavirin-free treatment regimen for patients with chronic hepatitis C. The submission is based on results from a Phase III study demonstrating that the 24-week, all-oral, interferon-free and ribavirin-free regimen of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) achieved an overall sustained virologic response 24 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR₂₄) of 84.7% in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C (HCV) genotype 1b who were either interferon-ineligible/intolerant (87.4% SVR₂₄) or non-responders (null and partial) to interferon-based therapies (80.5% SVR₂₄).

These Phase III data will lead the Presidential Plenary at the Viral Hepatitis Session on November 5 during the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) in Washington D.C.

Globally, there are 170 million people who are infected with HCV. Of the 1.2 million people living with HCV in Japan, approximately 70 percent of these patients have genotype 1b, which has one of the lowest response rates to current treatments. Further, a significant number of patients with HCV in Japan are over the age of 65, leading to more disease-related complications and a decreased likelihood of tolerating interferon-based therapies, the standard for treating HCV.

“With our submission in Japan, we are pleased to be one step closer to bringing a potential new treatment option to the many people living with HCV in that country,” said Brian Daniels, MD, senior vice president, Global Development and Medical Affairs, Research and Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “The all-oral regimen of DCV plus ASV in this study represents the potential for a significant advance in the treatment of HCV infection in Japan, particularly when considering that Japanese patients chronically infected with HCV are often older than in other countries and predominantly infected with genotype 1b, both factors which impact response to therapy.”

The regimen used in the Phase III study resulted in low rates of discontinuation (5%) due to adverse events (AEs). In addition, the rate of serious adverse events (SAEs) was low (5.9%) and varied among patients. Nasopharyngitis was the most common adverse event in the study (30.2%, 67/222).

Study Design and Results

In this open-label, parallel group, Phase III study, interferon- ineligible/intolerant (IN/I) patients (n=135) and interferon/ribavirin non-responder (NR) patients (n=87) received DCV 60 mg once daily plus ASV 100 mg twice daily for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with a sustained virologic response at 24 weeks after the end of treatment (SVR₂₄).

Virologic Response

• High rates of SVR₂₄ were achieved in the two studied patient populations – those IN/I patients with limited therapeutic options (87.4%, 118/135) and those NR patients typically associated with low responses to interferon-based therapies (80.5%, 70/87).
• Patients ≥ 65 years of age had SVR₂₄ rates similar to those in patients < 65 years and age did not appear to impact response rates. SVR₂₄ rates for those ≥ 65 years of age were 91.9% (57/62) in the IN/I elderly patient population and 85.2% (23/27) in the NR elderly population.
• There was no clinically significant difference in SVR₂₄ by traditionally important baseline factors including gender, age, baseline HCV RNA, cirrhosis, and IL28B genotype.
• There were low rates of virologic breakthrough and EOT (end of treatment) detectable HCV RNA (17/222 patients (7.7%)), and low rates of relapse (17/205 patients (8.3%)).

“The Phase III study results of daclatasvir plus asunaprevir are exciting to see, especially in this difficult-to-treat patient population. If approved, this regimen has the potential to offer HCV patients in Japan, who are unable to achieve SVR with the current interferon-based standard of care, a new treatment option,” said lead study investigator Kazuaki Chayama of Hiroshima University, Japan.

On-Treatment Safety

No deaths were reported and the study discontinuation rate was low (12.6%, 28/222). There were low rates of serious adverse events (5.9%, 13/222) and few adverse events were reported in greater than 10% of patients. The most common adverse events reported were nasopharyngitis (30.2%, 67/222), increased ALT (15.8%), increased AST (12.6%), headache (15.8%), diarrhea (9.9%) and pyrexia (12.2%). A limited number of Grade 3-4 laboratory abnormalities were observed in greater than 3 percent of patients.

The most common adverse event leading to discontinuation was ALT/AST elevation, a measure of liver inflammation. Of the 11 patients who discontinued due to an adverse event, 10 discontinued due to ALT/AST elevation. Despite early discontinuation, 80% of these patients achieved SVR₂₄ and all ALT/AST values returned to normal.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb’s HCV Portfolio

Bristol-Myers Squibb’s hepatitis C pipeline includes compounds with different mechanisms of action, pursuing both biologics as well as small molecule direct-acting antivirals. These compounds are being studied as part of multiple treatment regimens with the goal of increasing SVR rates across diverse patient types and geographies.

• Our investigational NS5A replication complex inhibitor daclatasvir (DCV) has been extensively studied in thousands of patients to date as a foundational agent for multiple direct-acting antiviral-based (DAA) combination therapies. DCV has shown antiviral potency and pan-genotypic activity across HCV genotypes in vitro. DCV has a drug-drug interaction profile that supports its continued study in a variety of HCV combination regimens
• Asunaprevir (ASV) is an investigational NS3 protease inhibitor for hepatitis C which has been studied as a component of DCV-based treatment regimens
• BMS-791325 is a non-nucleoside inhibitor of the NS5B polymerase, currently in Phase II development for hepatitis C as a component of DCV-based treatment regimens
• Lambda is an investigational type III interferon that has the potential to offer an alternative to alfa-interferon in patients for whom an interferon-based regimen is required or preferred

About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver and is transmitted through direct contact with infected blood and blood products. An estimated 170 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C, with genotype 1 being the most prevalent genotype. Up to 90 percent of those infected with hepatitis C will not clear the virus and will become chronically infected. According to the World Health Organization, 20 percent of people with chronic hepatitis C will develop cirrhosis and, of those, up to 25 percent may progress to liver cancer. In Japan, the hepatitis C virus is the most common cause of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis, and approximately 1.2 million people there are living with the hepatitis C virus.

About Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information, please visit http://www.bms.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bmsnews.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Forward Looking Statement

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding the research, development and commercialization of pharmaceutical products. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Among other risks, there can be no guarantee that the clinical trials of these compounds will support regulatory filings, or that the compounds described in this release will receive regulatory approvals or, if approved, that they will become commercially successful products. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect Bristol-Myers Squibb's business, particularly those identified in the cautionary factors discussion in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012, in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Bristol-Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:

Bristol-Myers Squibb
Media:
Carrie Fernandez, 215-859-2605
carrie.fernandez@bms.com
or
Julie Ferguson, 312-385-0098
julie.ferguson@bms.com
or
Investors:
Ranya Dajani, 609-252-5330
ranya.dajani@bms.com
or
Ryan Asay, 609-252-5020
ryan.asay@bms.com

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