Vertex, GlaxoSmithKline Enter Agreement for Phase 2 Hepatitis C Study

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

today announced it has entered into a non-exclusive agreement with GlaxoSmithKline

to conduct a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of an all-oral regimen for the treatment of hepatitis C containing Vertex's nucleotide analogue hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase inhibitor VX-135 and GSK's NS5A inhibitor GSK2336805. Vertex and GSK plan to initiate the study in early 2013, pending discussions with regulatory authorities. The study is expected to evaluate safety, tolerability and viral cure rates using a 12-week combination of VX-135 and GSK2336805. The companies will jointly fund costs associated with the study. There are no up-front or milestone payments associated with the agreement. VX-135 is an investigational uridine nucleotide analogue pro-drug designed