Vertex rises after kidney disease drug shows promise in mid-stage study
VRTX•Vertex shares rise after inaxaplin mid-stage data
Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX.O rose 1.1% to $516.53.
The biotech firm said its experimental drug inaxaplin cut protein in urine, a key sign of kidney damage, by 42.7% after 13 weeks in patients with APOL1-mediated kidney disease.
The genetic kidney disorder mainly affects people of African ancestry and can lead to kidney failure; no approved therapies exist.
The company said the drug also cut protein levels by 17.3% in patients who had both the disease and type 2 diabetes.
Vertex said inaxaplin was generally safe and well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious side effects.
Including the session's move, the stock is up about 14% year to date.
