Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc - VRTX STOCK NEWS

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) announced significant updates ahead of January 2025 investor meetings. The company reported major achievements in 2024, including FDA approval of ALYFTREK for cystic fibrosis treatment and expanded approval for TRIKAFTA. Vertex has activated over 50 authorized treatment centers globally for CASGEVY, with more than 50 patients initiating cell collection.

Key pipeline updates include: awaiting FDA decision for suzetrigine in acute pain (PDUFA date: January 30, 2025), continuing Phase 3 trials for povetacicept in IgA nephropathy, advancing inaxaplin for APOL1-mediated kidney disease, and initiating Phase 3 studies for zimislecel in Type 1 diabetes. The company increased its estimate of CF patients from 92,000 to 94,000 in key markets and identified approximately 15,000 additional patients in new markets.

Vertex secured a unique outcomes-based arrangement with CMS for CASGEVY and received approval in the UAE for both SCD and TDT treatments. The company continues to expand its geographic footprint and diversify its revenue streams through multiple product launches.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) and Zai Lab (ZLAB) have announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of povetacicept in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan region and Singapore. Povetacicept is a recombinant fusion protein therapeutic and dual antagonist being studied for Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and other B cell-mediated diseases.

Under the agreement, Vertex will receive an upfront payment, regulatory milestone payments, and tiered royalties on net sales. Zai Lab will leverage its R&D expertise to advance clinical trials and handle regulatory submissions in the licensed territory. Once approved, Zai Lab will be responsible for all commercialization activities in the region, utilizing its established commercial infrastructure.

Zai Lab (ZLAB) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) have announced an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of povetacicept in mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, Taiwan region, and Singapore.

Povetacicept is a recombinant fusion protein therapeutic and dual antagonist of BAFF and APRIL with best-in-class potential, being studied for the treatment of Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and other B cell-mediated diseases.

Under the agreement terms, Vertex will receive an upfront payment, regulatory milestone payments, and tiered royalties on net sales. Zai Lab will leverage its R&D expertise for clinical trials and regulatory submissions, while also managing all commercialization activities in the licensed territory upon approval.

Orna Therapeutics has announced a three-year strategic research collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) to develop next-generation gene editing therapies for Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Transfusion-Dependent Beta Thalassemia (TDT). The partnership will utilize Orna's proprietary lipid nanoparticle (LNP) delivery solutions to enhance Vertex's therapeutic development efforts.

Under the agreement, Orna will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for potential pre-clinical, clinical, and commercialization milestone payments, along with royalties. The collaboration aims to leverage Orna's extra-hepatic LNP delivery chemistries to achieve unprecedented delivery to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). This marks Orna's second major partnership, highlighting the company's leadership in next-generation RNA medicines.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VRTX) has announced that its CEO and President, Dr. Reshma Kewalramani, will deliver a presentation at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT.

The presentation will be accessible through a live webcast on the company's website (www.vrtx.com) under the 'Investors' section's 'News and Events' page. A replay of the conference webcast will be made available in the company's website archive.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) has received FDA approval for ALYFTREK™, a once-daily triple combination CFTR modulator for treating cystic fibrosis in patients 6 years and older with at least one responsive mutation. The approval is based on comprehensive Phase 3 trials involving over 1,000 patients across 200+ sites in 20+ countries.

ALYFTREK demonstrated non-inferiority to TRIKAFTA® on ppFEV1 and showed improved sweat chloride levels. The treatment extends to 31 additional mutations not previously responsive to other CFTR modulators, potentially benefiting approximately 150 additional CF patients in the U.S. The drug is currently under regulatory review in several other countries.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) has received FDA approval for expanded use of TRIKAFTA in treating cystic fibrosis (CF) patients aged 2 and older. The approval covers patients with at least one F508del mutation or a TRIKAFTA-responsive mutation in the CFTR gene. This expansion adds 94 non-F508del CFTR mutations to TRIKAFTA's label, making approximately 300 additional CF patients in the U.S. eligible for treatment. The FDA has also updated safety information, elevating liver injury and liver failure warnings to a boxed warning. TRIKAFTA has been treating the underlying cause of CF since its initial approval in 2019.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced results from its Phase 2 study of suzetrigine for painful lumbosacral radiculopathy (LSR). The study met its primary endpoint with a -2.02 point reduction in pain on the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), though the placebo arm showed a similar reduction of -1.98 points.

The drug was generally well tolerated with lower adverse events (22.9%) compared to placebo (32.4%). No serious adverse events related to suzetrigine were reported. Post-hoc analyses revealed variability in placebo response across study sites, with better treatment separation in sites with lower placebo responses.

Vertex plans to advance to Phase 3 development for LSR pending regulatory discussions, incorporating learnings to better control placebo response in future studies.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals presented long-term data for CASGEVY™, their CRISPR/Cas9 gene-edited therapy, showing sustained benefits in treating severe sickle cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia (TDT). Key findings include:

- 93% of SCD patients (39/42) remained free from vaso-occlusive crises for at least 12 months, with mean duration of 30.9 months

- 98% of TDT patients (53/54) achieved transfusion-independence for at least 12 months with adequate hemoglobin levels

The company has activated over 45 treatment centers globally and collected cells from more than 40 patients. CASGEVY is now approved in multiple countries, including the U.S., EU, and UK, with reimbursement agreements secured in several regions.