Maribavir trial for CMV prophylaxis discontinued

ViroPharma has announced that it is discontinuing a phase 3 trial of maribavir for prophylaxis against cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in patients undergoing a liver transplant.

The trial is being discontinued based on the results of a phase 3 trial of maribavir in patients undergoing a stem cell transplant; these results were announced in February 2009. In the trial, there was no significant difference between maribavir- and placebo-treated patients on either the primary end point (incidence of CMV disease) or the key secondary end points (initiation of anti-CMV treatment within 6 mo, incidence of graft-vs-host disease, mortality, and CMV disease-free survival).

In February 2007, maribavir was granted orphan drug designation for the prevention of CMV viremia and disease in at-risk populations.