Achillion hepatitis C drug shows promise in early trial

(Reuters) - Achillion Pharmaceuticals Inc said an early-stage trial of its experimental hepatitis C treatment showed that a single dose of the drug significantly reduced the severity of the infection.

The early-stage trial tested the drug in doses ranging from 25 mg to 1,000 mg in patients with genotype 1a. The drug, called ACH-3102, was well tolerated at all doses in which it was tested.

Based on the trial data, Achillion initiated a pilot mid-stage trial evaluating the drug in combination with ribavirin - a standard-of-care - for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C patients with genotype 1b.

The company has three more hepatitis C drugs in its pipeline.

Achillion shares closed at $9.49 on Wednesday on the Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)