PALO ALTO, California, April 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Incorporated, today announced that abstracts from its Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) development program will be presented at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria, April 22 to 26, 2015. Data from the Phase 2 study of lonafarnib boosted with ritonavir in patients infected with HDV will be presented for the first time. The accepted abstracts, related invited talks and symposium sessions are listed below and are now available online.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20141221/165715LOGO
Lonafarnib Abstracts, Posters and Oral Presentations at EASL
About Lonafarnib Lonafarnib is a well-characterized, late stage, orally active agent targeting farnesyltransferase, an enzyme involved in modification of proteins through a process called prenylation. HDV uses this host cellular process inside liver cells to complete a key step in its life cycle. Lonafarnib inhibits the prenylation step of HDV replication inside liver cells and blocks the ability of the virus to multiply. Since prenylation is carried out by a host enzyme there is also a theoretical higher barrier to develop viral resistance mutations with lonafarnib therapy.
Lonafarnib is an investigational product and its safety and efficacy have not yet been established for any indication.
About HDV Hepatitis Delta is caused by infection with the hepatitis D virus (HDV) and is considered to be the most severe form of viral hepatitis in humans. Hepatitis D occurs only as a co-infection in individuals with hepatitis B (HBV), leads to more severe liver disease than HBV alone, and is associated with accelerated liver fibrosis, liver cancer, and liver failure. HDV is a disease with a significant impact on global health affecting ~15 million people worldwide. The prevalence of HDV varies between different parts of the world. Globally, HDV infection is reported to be 5-6% of chronic hepatitis B carriers. Lonafarnib has been granted the Orphan Drug Designation by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). In some parts of the world, including certain areas of China, Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, Africa, and South America, prevalence as high as 40% has been reported in HBV infected patients.
About EigerEiger is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization of innovative therapies in viral hepatitis. The company is focused on developing lonafarnib for the treatment of Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV), the most severe form of viral hepatitis. Lonafarnib is not approved for any indication. Eiger's research programs are focused on the discovery of targeted, small-molecule therapeutics and biomarkers to treat and monitor serious liver diseases. For additional information about Eiger and its R&D pipeline, please visit www.eigerbio.com.
Investors: Jim Shaffer, Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., 919-345-4256, jshaffer@eigerbio.com
