Valeant Pharmaceuticals International said Monday that it plans to pursue approval of its Viramidine drug for hepatitis C in Japan.
“Japan represents the second largest hepatitis C market, with an estimated 2.3 million people infected,” said Timothy Tyson, the Costa Mesa-based drug maker’s chief executive.
Valeant has a lot riding on Viramidine, the successor to the company’s flagship ribavirin, which faces generic competition.
The company touts Viramidine as having fewer side effects than ribavirin.
Hepatitis C is a chronic liver disease that can lead to potentially fatal complications such as liver cancer.
