FDA Hepatitis Update - Availability of draft Guidance: Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Developing Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for Treatment

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing the availability of draft guidance for industry entitled “Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Developing Direct-Acting Antiviral Agents for Treatment.” At present, there are a large number of drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in active development. The purpose of this guidance is to assist sponsors in all phases of development of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), defined as agents that interfere with specific steps in the hepatitis C virus (HCV) replication cycle. The guidance outlines the types of nonclinical studies and clinical trials recommended throughout the drug development process, such as early phases of clinical development, phase 3 protocol designs, and endpoints for the treatment of CHC to support approval of treatments for CHC, including patients with compensated and decompensated cirrhosis and those co-infected with HIV. The guidance also addresses pre-approval access in the form of treatment investigational new drug applications (INDs) and intermediate-sized safety protocols (collectively known as expanded access).

Important issues addressed in this guidance include: drug development methods to reduce the emergence of drug resistance, types of trial designs to assess optimal dose and treatment duration, combination therapy with multiple investigational drugs, recommendations on development of drugs to meet unmet medical needs, and use of treatment INDs or other smaller safety protocols to provide early access of multiple DAAs for patients at risk of imminent progression of liver disease.

The draft guidance, when finalized, will represent the agency’s current thinking on developing DAAs for treatment of CHC virus infection. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person and does not operate to bind FDA or the public. An alternative approach may be used if such approach satisfies the requirements of the applicable statutes and regulations.

The draft guidance is available on the FDA web site at http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/Guidances/UCM225333.pdf

Although comments are accepted for any guidance at any time, to ensure that the agency considers your comment on this draft guidance before it begins work on the final version of the guidance, please submit written or electronic comments on the draft guidance by November 15, 2010, and include the docket number, FDA-2010-D-0462, in any comment you submit.

You may submit written comments on the draft guidance to the
Division of Dockets Management (HFA-305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061,
Rockville, MD 20852

You may also submit electronic comments at http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#submitComment?R=0900006480b4e9b3.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jeffrey Murray,
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research,
Food and Drug Administration,
10903 New Hampshire Ave.,
Bldg. 22, rm. 6360,
Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002,
301-796-1500.

The complete Federal Register Notice announcing availability of this draft guidance is available at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-22806.pdf

Richard Klein
Office of Special Health Issues
Food and Drug Administration
Kimberly Struble
Division of Antiviral Drug Products
Food and Drug Administration