Getting your player ready...
An experimental antiviral drug that works by a different mechanism than existing drugs has been shown to suppress hepatitis C in chimpanzees and is beginning clinical trials in humans, researchers reported Thursday.
The new drug binds to RNA required by the virus for replication, preventing it from proliferating in the liver.
Tests suggest that the drug, SPC3649, has no toxic side effects, does not allow development of resistance — which plagues other hepatitis drugs — and has lasting effects after treatment ends.
