WHO adds ravidasvir to HCV recommendation guidelines

The World Health Organization has added ravidasvir as a future pangenotypic direct-acting antiviral to the list of recommended therapies in their Guidelines for the Care and Treatment of Persons Diagnosed with Chronic Hepatitis C, according to a press release.

“We are so excited that ravidasvir is recommended as a pangenotypic DAA by the WHO HCV guidelines,” Jinzi J. Wu, PhD, founder, president and CEO of Ascletis Pharma, said in the release. “Ravidasvir is not only recognized by international academic communities, but also recognized by an internationally renowned public health organization.”

Previously, ravidasvir has demonstrated high sustained virologic response rates in combination with other approved DAA regimens.

One study of combined ravidasvir with Sovaldi (sofosbuvir, Gilead Sciences) among Egyptian patients had an overall SVR rate of 98%. Another study in Egypt with the same combination resulted in a rate of 97%.

Additionally, ravidasvir plus ritonavir-boosted danoprevir with ribavirin for 12 weeks resulted in 100% sustained virologic response among a cohort of Asian patients with hepatitis C genotype 1 without cirrhosis.

According to the release, a recent phase 2/3 clinical trial of ravidasvir with Ascletis’ Ganovo demonstrated an overall cure rate of 99% over a 12-week course in Chinese patients with HCV genotype 1 and a rate of 100% in patients with NS5A resistance mutations.

References: www.ascletis.com

Andrieux-Meyer I, et al. Abstract LBP-032. Presented at: International Liver Congress; Apr. 11-15, 2018; Paris, France.

Esmat G, et al. Abstract LB-4. Presented at: The Liver Meeting; Nov. 13-17, 2015; San Francisco.

Kao JH, et al. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;doi:10.1111/jgh.14096.