Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc (VRTX)

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4:00PM Vertex Pharm announces positive results from viral kinetic study of the nucleotide analogue ALS-2200 in people with hepatitis C (VRTX) 49.96 +0.64 : Co announced positive results from a viral kinetic study of the nucleotide analogue ALS-2200 for the treatment of hepatitis C. There was a median 4.54 log10 reduction in hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in people with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C who were new to treatment (n=8) after seven days of dosing with 200 mg of ALS-2200 once daily. ALS-2200 was well-tolerated in this study, and no patients discontinued due to adverse events. Based on these data, Vertex plans to begin Phase 2 studies this year of 12-week all-oral regimens including ALS-2200 in people with genotype 1 hepatitis C, pending discussions with regulatory agencies.