FDA approves expanded use of Infergen

WARRENDALE, Pa. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for a hepatitis C drug made by Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, the drug maker said Friday.

The FDA approved Three Rivers’ Infergen (interferon alfacon-1) combined with ribavirin for daily treatment of hepatitis C in patients who have failed to respond to pegylated interferon combined with ribavirin.

The approval is based on a late-stage clinical study showing that the combination of Infergen and ribavirin rendered the virus undetectable, also known as sustained virological response.