Vertex gives CF pipeline update

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX) said it will begin Phase I studies next month of VX-440 and VX-152, two next-generation correctors of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator ( CFTR). In an investor presentation Friday, CEO Jeffrey Leiden said Vertex hoped that triple combinations including the new candidates could allow the company to treat 80-90% of CF patients.

Vertex presented in vitro data showing that either VX-440 or VX-152 in combination with the company's VX-661 and Kalydeco ivacaftor increased chloride transport and cilia beating compared with Orkambi ivacaftor/lumacaftor in human bronchial epithelial cells with at least one copy of the F508 CFTR mutation. ...