Yessir, that's my baby!

The quandry: should I wait a little while before I roll over my old 401k (all company stock) to my current one or gamble and let it go for the end of Phase II?

From the Biopeer blog. There are a number of other press releases on VX-950, and no, it is not some third generation nerve gas. Just Google it.

January 10, 2006

Vertex’s VX-950 drug leads to cure for Hepatitis C

The experimental pill VX-950 launched by Vertex Pharmaceuticals has proved effective in the treatment of Hepatitis C, a liver disease that leads to liver decline, cancer and death. The results have revived hopes in the company’s claims that the pill would be helpful in reducing the treatment time of Hepatitis C to three months from the current timeframe of about a year. Moreover, VX-950, a protease inhibitor that blocks enzyme in liver cells linked to virus reproduction has been given a fast-track designation by the FDA.

According to the 14-day trial study conducted on eight patients by administering a combination treatment consisting of Vertex’s VX-950 and pegylated interferon, virus presence in patients reduced significantly by 300,000-times in a stipulated period of over two weeks. Additionally, it was also revealed that the medication was well tolerated by the patients with no reports of any kind of serious adverse effects. Typical interferon-related side effects, of mild to moderate severity, were registered in the patients that were administered with peg- IFN along with VX-950.

Meanwhile, Prudential Equity Group raised the price target on Vertex Pharmaceuticals from USD 28 to USD 37 with the announcement that positive clinical results of its experimental Hepatitis C treatment. Further the studies have also helped in soaring the market share prices of Vertex by 78 cents, which is an increase of 2.5 per cent on Nasdaq.

Doc Bushwell's safe harbor statement: the word "cure" in the title is forward-looking since data on rebound viral replication have not been reported by Vertex. Still, it's an extraordinary drop in viral load. Let's just say I'm a proud mama but I, along with VX-950's other parents, will not be making arrangements for the graduation party just yet. But we're hopeful that "our baby" will pass all its classes in Phase II and Phase III, then graduate summa cum laude to the benefit of many HCV+ patients.