Vertex veers downwards after VX-814 failure

15 October 2020

US biopharma Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) has announced that the Phase II study of VX-814 in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency has been discontinued based upon safety and pharmacokinetic data.

The company has also decided to discontinue development of the drug, with the announcement sending shares in Vertex falling by more than 10% in pre-market trading on Thursday.

Carmen Bozic, executive vice president, global medicines development and medical affairs, and chief medical officer at Vertex, said: “Based on the liver enzyme elevations observed, along with the determination that we would not be able to safely achieve targeted exposure levels with VX-814, we are discontinuing further development of this molecule.”

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