Low innovation in hepatitis C therapies means significant unmet needs remain, says GBI Research

Report Title: Frontier Pharma: Hepatitis C – Diverse Range of First-in-Class Host-Targeting and Direct-Acting Antivirals Offer Potential in Difficult-to-Treat Populations

Although recent years have seen a revolution in the hepatitis C space, as interferon-free direct-acting antiviral (DAA) combination therapies have started replacing interferon-based therapies, a number of considerable unmet needs remain.

Jennifer Goossens, Associate Analyst for GBI Research, explains: “Hepatitis C virus resistance to DAAs may also be a cause for concern, as the development of selection pressure by the host immune system in combination with DAA therapy may lead to the outgrowth of resistant viruses that have an advantage, and therefore become the dominant strain. As a consequence, it is possible that this subgroup of patients may increase in size in the future.

“As non-responders and relapsers make up a considerable population, efforts to develop new hepatitis C therapies will need to continue. Issues such as high costs of DAA products, hepatitis C screening and diagnosis rates, and a low treatment rate among certain demographics – such as intravenous drug users – are likely to remain key market barriers.”

The clear need to develop drugs for non-responsive and relapsing patients means the hepatitis C space is a commercially attractive one. Currently, the hepatitis C pipeline is relatively active, with 198 products in development, and differs significantly from the market landscape, which is dominated by interferon immune mediators and ribavirin products.

Goossens continues: “While first-in-class products account for 37.9% across the entire industry, they only account for 21.8% of hepatitis C pipeline products with a disclosed molecular target, which is significantly below the industry average.

“However, in comparison to historical hepatitis C trends, where there was limited progress for many decades up until 2011, the presence of a modest number of these products shows promise. Their clear lack in later development stages, however, suggests that the therapeutic landscape will continue to be dominated by currently marketed and me-too products in the near future.”

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This release was published on openPR.