The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is the most common cause of viral hepatitis, which is an inflammation of the liver. It is currently estimated that over 170 million people are infected with HCV worldwide and The American Association of Liver Disease estimates that up to 85% of individuals become chronically infected following exposure. If left untreated, chronic hepatitis can lead to permanent liver damage, which can result in the development of liver cancer, liver failure or death. Few therapeutic options currently exist for the treatment of HCV infection. The current standard of care is limited by its specificity for certain types of HCV, significant side-effect profile, injectable route of administration and high cost.
Achillion's approach in developing new therapies for HCV is multi-fold: First, in a proprietary program targeting the HCV NS3 protease, Achillion is advancing ACH-1625, a potent HCV inhibitor with an excellent preclinical safety profile, unique pharmacokinetics and once-daily dosing. Second, Achillion is advancing ACH-2684, a pan-genotypic protease inhibitor with excellent potency in the pico-molar range and activity against emerging resistant HCV variants. Finally, Achillion is developing the first candidate from its NS5A inhibitor program - ACH-2928, an inhibitor of NS5A with pan-genotypic activity and picomolar potency.
Program Overview
Through its own in-house discovery efforts, Achillion has identified a number of NS5A inhibitors and is initially developing ACH-2928, a potent inhibitor of HCV NS5A. more
Data Overview
In preclinical studies, ACH-2928 has been shown to be highly potent in the pico-molar range, effective against all known HCV genotypes, and displays additive to synergistic activity when dosed in combination with protease inhibitors. more
