Press Release
New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Data from Two Phase 3 Studies of ORKAMBITM (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) in People with Cystic Fibrosis who have Two Copies of the F508del Mutation
In November 2014, Vertex submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the combination of
lumacaftor and ivacaftor in people with CF ages 12 and older who have
two copies of the F508del mutation. On
Cystic fibrosis is a rare genetic disease that is caused by defective or missing cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulatory (CFTR) proteins resulting from mutations in the CFTR gene. The defective or missing proteins result in poor flow of salt and water into and out of the cell in a number of organs, including the lungs. In people with two copies of the F508del mutation, the CFTR protein is not processed and trafficked normally within the cell, resulting in little to no CFTR protein at the cell surface.
ORKAMBI is an investigational medicine that is a combination of lumacaftor, which is designed to increase the amount of functional protein at the cell surface by addressing the processing and trafficking defect of the protein, and ivacaftor, which is designed to enhance the function of the CFTR protein once it reaches the cell surface.
About Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a rare, life-threatening genetic disease affecting approximately 75,000 people in North America, Europe and Australia.
CF is caused by a defective or missing CFTR protein resulting from mutations in the CFTR gene. Children must inherit two defective CFTR genes — one from each parent — to have CF. There are more than 1,900 known mutations in the CFTR gene. Some of these mutations, which can be determined by a genetic, or genotyping, test, lead to CF by creating non-working or too few CFTR proteins at the cell surface. The defective or missing CFTR protein results in poor flow of salt and water into and out of the cell in a number of organs, including the lungs. This leads to the buildup of abnormally thick, sticky mucus that can cause chronic lung infections and progressive lung damage that eventually leads to death.
Today, the median predicted age of survival for a person with CF is between 34 and 47 years, but the median age of death remains in the mid-20s.
About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that aims to discover, develop and commercialize innovative medicines so people with serious diseases can lead better lives. In addition to our clinical development programs focused on cystic fibrosis, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs aimed at other serious and life-threatening diseases.
Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex today has research and
development sites and commercial offices in the United
States, Europe, Canada and
Special Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without
limitation, statements regarding the timing of the potential approval of
ORKAMBI as a treatment for patients with CF twelve years or older who
have two copies of the F508del mutation in their CFTR gene. While
Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press
release are accurate, there are a number of factors that could cause
actual events or results to differ materially from those indicated by
such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include,
among other things, that regulatory authorities may not approve, or
approve on a timely basis, ORKAMBI for patients with CF twelve years or
older who have two copies of the F508del mutation in their CFTR
gene due to safety, efficacy or other reasons, and other risks listed
under Risk Factors in Vertex's annual report and quarterly reports filed
with the
(VRTX-GEN)
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