HCV is a virus that primarily targets the liver, currently causing infection in more than 4 million people in the U.S. and 180 million people worldwide. The virus is difficult to eradicate, with infected patients eventually developing chronic liver infection, and, in some cases, liver cancer. HCV infection is the most common reason for liver transplantation in the U.S. and Western Europe and the leading cause of death from liver disease.
No vaccine is currently available to prevent HCV infection. Current HCV therapy combines a pegylated-interferon with ribavirin for up to 48 weeks of treatment. Current therapy has significant problems with both safety (e.g., significant treatment limiting adverse effects and contraindications) and efficacy (e.g., 80% of HCV infections in the U.S. are due to genotype 1 virus for which the efficacy rate of current therapy is approximately 40 to 50%). The HCV market was $2.2 Billion in 2005 and is projected to double to $4.4 Billion in 2010. This growth will be driven by an increase in the number of patients being treated, uptake of new drugs, and the use of multi-drug treatment regimens.
CB-183872* is a pre-clinical protein therapeutic being developed for treatment of HCV infection. Based on its antiviral activity, CB-183872 may have therapeutic utility in the treatment of certain other viral diseases. Pre-clinical studies to assess activity against these viruses may occur in parallel with its development for HCV infection.
* Formerly IB657 from Illumigen Biosciences.