Vertex Pharma taking more aggressive M&A stance, flush with cash from cystic fibrosis drugs

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is looking to acquire “mid- and late-stage assets” to bolster its current research pipeline,  CEO Reshma Kewalramani said Monday at the virtual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference.

The company also sees more growth for its cystic fibrosis drug business. There are approximately 83,000 cystic fibrosis patients amenable to treatment with Vertex medicines in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Canada, based on Vertex’s latest forecasts, an increase of 8,000 patients from its previous estimate.

Vertex medicines, including the recently launched triple-therapy cocktail called Trikafta, can treat 90% of cystic fibrosis patients. Vertex did not report financial results on Monday, but analysts are currently expecting sales of $6.2 billion in 2020 and $6.9 billion this year.

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