Vertex’s telaprevir cuts hep C treatment time in half

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) has added a fresh haul of solid Phase III data to support its rolling application for telaprevir, a potential blockbuster that some analysts believe is a likely game changer in the market. An overwhelming majority of hepatitis C patients who registered a quick response to a telaprevir-based cocktail were effectively cleared of the virus after 24 weeks, according to researchers, making further treatments unnecessary. And that indicates the new hep C drug could cut...

Merck’s boceprevir scores high in PhIII hep C trial

Merck says its hepatitis C drug boceprevir hit its primary endpoints in two Phase III studies and will file for an approval of the potential blockbuster by the end of this year. And analysts quickly began to handicap Merck's chances against Vertex, which has compiled a mountain of positive data for its hep C drug telaprevir. Boceprevir was one of the jewels in Schering-Plough's crown when Merck swept in to buy up the company. Analysts give it high marks and say that the drug has the potential...

With losses rising, Vertex rolls out its telaprevir app

Faced with a rising tide of red ink, Vertex (NASDAQ: VRTX) says it has begun rolling out its NDA for the potential blockbuster telaprevir and expects to wrap the app later this year. Banking on a treasure trove of positive Phase III results already in hand, Vertex is clearly hopeful about its chances with the closely watched hepatitis C drug. And it's laying the groundwork for another FDA campaign next year for its cystic fibrosis program. Vertex will need to start ginning revenue quickly,...

Vertex delivers blockbuster payload of PhIII telaprevir data

Vertex delivered a blockbuster payload of new telaprevir data demonstrating that the experimental hepatitis C drug in combination with existing drugs is much better at erasing all signs of the virus than standard therapy. And it leaves Vertex precisely where it wanted to be: On track to an FDA approval that will deliver a mega-blockbuster marketing opportunity. About three of every four patients taking the telaprevir combo therapy in a late-stage trial were cured of the virus,...

Wall Street to keep eye on Vertex data

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) is expected to soon announce late-stage data on its hepatitis C treatment from the first of three key studies--and the Street is waiting with great anticipation, a Dow Jones report notes. Many anticipate the study data--expected by the end of June--will be positive, and they could help further gains as confidence grows in the drug's role in the lucrative but increasingly competitive hepatitis C market. Although it has several promising pipeline...

Vertex gets promising Phase II telaprevir data

Telaprevir combined with older anti-viral treatments peginterferon and ribavirin cured 93 percent to 100 percent of patients with hepatitis C genotype 1 after 48 weeks of treatment, according to Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson. The results were unveiled at the European Association for the Study of the Liver in Vienna. "The majority of genotype 1 patients who undergo their first regimen of pegylated-interferon and ribavirin fail to achieve SVR and are left with few options for...