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[DewDiligence]

VRTX Announces Telaprevir, VX-222 Presentations at EASL

[Most of these studies have already been vetted via press releases and conference calls, and hence the presentations below probably won’t have much if any effect on VRTX’s share price. Although not specific to VRTX, poster presentations #4 and #5 pertaining to subgroup definitions and QALYs, respectively, ought to be good reads for all investors who follow the HCV arena.]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Vertex-Pharmaceuticals-bw-2448617881.html?x=0&.v=1

›Tuesday March 16, 2010, 4:01 pm EDT

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that multiple abstracts related to the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor telaprevir and the HCV polymerase inhibitor VX-222 were accepted for presentation at the 45th Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) in Vienna, Austria, April 14-18, 2010. The accepted abstracts include an oral presentation of results from Study 107, which evaluated telaprevir in HCV patients with well-characterized prior response to HCV therapy, including those with prior null response, partial response, viral breakthrough or relapse. Additionally, an abstract related to results from a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial of VX-222 in treatment-naïve genotype 1 HCV patients was accepted for oral presentation. The abstracts can be accessed through the EASL website, www.easl.ch. In accordance with the EASL embargo policy, the accepted abstract titles are provided below:

Telaprevir Oral Presentations:

1. Study 107: “SVR with Telaprevir, Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin in HCV Patients with Well-Characterized Prior Null Response, Partial Response, Viral Breakthrough or Relapse After PR”; April 15, 2010, 3:45 - 4:00 p.m. CET.

2. Study C208: “On-treatment Response-guided Therapy with Telaprevir Q8h or Q12h Combined with Peginterferon Alfa-2a or Peginterferon Alfa-2b and Ribavirin in Treatment-naïve Genotype 1 Hepatitis C (STUDY C208)”; April 16, 2010, 4:45 - 5:00 p.m. CET.

3. Study C209: “Activity of Telaprevir Alone or in Combination with Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin in Treatment-naïve Genotype 2 and 3 Hepatitis-C Patients: Final Results of Study C209”; April 16, 2010. 5:00 - 5:15 p.m. CET.

VX-222 Oral Presentation:

1. “Safety and Antiviral Activity of the HCV Non-Nucleoside Polymerase Inhibitor VX-222 in Treatment-Naïve Genotype 1 HCV-Infected Patients”; April 15 2010, 5:00 – 5:15 p.m. CET.

Poster Presentations:

1. “Improved Sustained Virologic Response (SVR) Rates in “Difficult-to-Cure” Patients Treated with Telaprevir in Combination with Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin: an Analysis From the PROVE-3 Study”; April 15, 2010.

2. “Early Virological Response Profiles with Telaprevir (T) in Combination with Peginterferon-Alfa-2a (P) and ribavirin (R) in Genotype 1 HCV Treatment-Naïve and Treatment-Experienced Patients are Similar”; April 15, 2010.

3. “Genotypic and Phenotypic Characterization of Genotype 2/3 HCV Variants in Patients Treated with Telaprevir Alone or in Combination with Peginterferon Alfa-2a/Ribavirin in Study C209”; April 15, 2010.

4. “Discrepancies Between Definitions of Null Response to Treatment with Peginterferon Alfa-2a and Ribavirin: Implications for New HCV Drug Development”; April 15, 2010.

5. “Impact of Sustained Virological Response (SVR) on Life Expectancy and Quality-adjusted Life-years (QALYs) in Chronic Hepatitis C (CHC) Patients”; April 17, 2010.‹