Vertex fällt u. fällt u.fällt ........... - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[bio1]

Hallo Leute,
Kann mir jemand verraten warum Vertex am Freitag an der
Nasdaq mit -9.5% geschlossen hat,und momentan schon wieder
mit 4% in den miesen ist?
Das mit heute kann ich ja noch verstehen(bei dem Umfeld),
aber am Freitag das war doch zuviel des guten.
Ist da was im Busch?

[B1B2]

au Backe, Vertex kämpft gegen den Index und hält sich eigentlich noch tapfer !!!

Bio-Index: 1237 -5,93%
VRTX: 82% -2,9%

schau dir bitte mal die anderen Bios an....

Gruß
B1B2

[B1B2]

solte natürlich 82 $ heißen

[fettinsky]

Hallo, vielleicht hat der eine oder andere doch den Eindruck, daß Biotech überbewertet ist. Habe derzeit so meine Befürchtungen, obwohl ich noch gut in Biotech investiert bin. Warum stürtzt Medimmune um mehr als 20 % ab ?

Gruß

[maxone]

nichts für ungut, aber ALLE bio`s sind heute im minus..

z.B.
medimmune - 26 %
vertex - 2,9 %
xoma - 1% vorhin war sie noch im plus...

good trades max1

[Sambista]

@maxone

Korrektur ....nicht alle, Techniclone TCLN ist dicke im Plus !

Sambista

[Taxpayer]

Hi Leute,

Die Analysten von Bank of America und Prudential liegen sich derzeit in den Haaren, ob der Biotech-Sektor,
vor allem Medimmune überbewertet sind oder nicht. Die Mehrzahl glaubt wohl Prudential...

Aber nach einem richtigen sell off gehts bestimmt wieder nach Norden ...

Tschüß
Taxpayer

[bio1]

Wie sieht es den charttechnisch mit dem Nasdaq-Biotechindex aus?
Habe leider von Charttechnik keine Ahnung.

[Feuerdrache]

Immer cool bleiben

[Feuerdrache]

immer cool bleiben

[Skorpy]

Recht hast Feuerdrache schön locker bleiben
ist ja nicht die Medimmune

Gruß Skorpy

[Gürgulat]

Ja..nur -1.5$ im Moment.. geht doch

[gigalooser]

Gibt auch neues von Vertex

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (ticker: VRTX, exchange: NASDAQ) News Release - 2-Oct-2000


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Receives U.S. Patent Covering Assay Technology to Accelerate Drug Discovery Targeting Hepatitis C Protease

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) announced today that it has received a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office for a novel technology to screen compounds for activity against hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease, using a cell- based assay. The invention is a proprietary tool that can be used to accelerate the discovery of HCV protease inhibitors for the treatment of HCV infection, and is broadly applicable for drug discovery against other protease enzyme targets as well. The Patent Number is 6,117,639.

To date, efforts to grow HCV robustly and reproducibly in cultured cells, in the test tube or in an animal model have not been successful. This has hampered efforts industry-wide to screen compounds for direct activity against HCV, especially HCV protease inhibitors. HCV infection is recognized as a major threat to public health, and no drugs exist that directly and potently block HCV viral replication.

"Working together, our virology and cell biology groups developed a way to measure HCV protease activity in a cell-based assay," said Vicki Sato, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer of Vertex. "Using recombinant DNA techniques, our researchers have created a fusion protein that, when cut by the hepatitis C NS3-4A serine protease, will alter expression of a reporter gene in a highly quantifiable way. This new assay has made it possible to rapidly screen for compounds that may have direct antiviral activity in a cellular environment. Already, we have been able to advance several potent small molecule HCV protease inhibitors into pharmacokinetic evaluation, and we could select a drug development candidate as early as 2001."

The hepatitis C NS3-4A serine protease is a virally encoded enzyme generally believed to be essential for replication of HCV. Vertex researchers solved the three-dimensional atomic structure of HCV protease and reported the results in the journal Cell in 1996. Vertex is collaborating with Eli Lilly to discover, develop, and commercialize HCV protease inhibitors for the treatment of HCV infection. As part of ongoing discovery efforts, Vertex is focused on creating novel assays and techniques to help evaluate potential HCV protease inhibitors.

HCV causes inflammation of the liver, which may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Approximately 2.7 million people in the United States are chronically infected with the hepatitis C virus, although many are currently undiagnosed. According to the Centers for Disease Control, hospitalization and death rates due to HCV are projected to triple from current levels over the next 10 to 15 years.

Broad Application of Patent For Protease Targets

Vertex`s Patent No. 6,117,639 claims a novel method for determining activity of inhibitory drug candidates against a protease. Vertex`s method uses a multi-domain fusion protein comprised of a protease cleavage site and is used to monitor protease activity in a cell via a reporter gene expression system. In the presence of a protease, such as the hepatitis C NS3-4A serine protease, the expression of a reporter gene is significantly reduced. As a result, Vertex can measure the activity of an HCV protease inhibitor by the inhibitor`s ability to increase the expression of the reporter gene in the presence of that protease. The claimed method is applicable to the discovery of chemical compounds targeting any protease.

Proteases function by cleaving and activating proteins, and play an important role in the regulation of numerous biological processes, including viral replication and activation of the immune response. Proteases have been implicated as contributors to several diseases, including Alzheimer`s disease, hypertension, cancer and viral infections. There are numerous examples of marketed drugs that achieve a therapeutic effect by inhibiting protease activity, including HIV protease inhibitors for the treatment of HIV and AIDS, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for the treatment of hypertension.

"In addition to the hepatitis C NS3-4A serine protease, this patent broadly applies to other proteases, including those which may be the subject of Vertex drug discovery efforts. As part of our chemogenomics approach to drug discovery, we are seeking to develop proprietary technologies that we can integrate into our drug discovery platform, with particular emphasis on technologies that enhance our ability to pursue drug design across families of related protein targets," said Sato.

Vertex`s approach to drug discovery, termed "chemogenomics," seeks to capitalize on the emergence of large amounts of genomic information by combining medicinal chemistry and molecular biology to identify and describe many of the possible drug candidates for a drug target or group of targets. As part of this approach, Vertex is pursuing a strategy of parallel drug design in gene families, which are groups of genes with similar sequences that code for structurally similar proteins. Vertex`s most advanced efforts in parallel drug design are in the caspase, kinase and protease gene families. Proteases are of strong interest because of the structural similarity among specific proteases, the proven medical value of blocking protease activity with small molecule inhibitors, and the role that proteases play in a range of diseases.

The inventors of the patent are Drs. Thomas Hoock, Ann Kwong, and Ursula Germann, all of Vertex.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated discovers, develops and markets small molecule drugs that address major unmet medical needs. Vertex has seven drug candidates in clinical development to treat viral diseases, inflammation, cancer, autoimmune diseases and neurological disorders. Vertex has created its pipeline using a proprietary, information-based approach to drug design that integrates multiple technologies in biology, chemistry and biophysics, aimed at increasing the speed and success rate of drug discovery. Vertex`s first approved product is Agenerase(TM) (amprenavir), an HIV protease inhibitor, which Vertex co-promotes with Glaxo Wellcome.

This press release contains forward-looking statements about Vertex`s Patent No. 6,117,639, including statements about Vertex`s ability to use the patented technology to accelerate the discovery of HCV protease inhibitors for the treatment of HCV infection, the patent`s application for drug discovery against other protease enzyme targets and Vertex`s expectation that it could select a drug development candidate targeting HCV protease as early as 2001. While management makes its best efforts to be accurate in making forward- looking statements, any such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause Vertex`s actual results to vary materially. Risk factors include uncertainties relating to Vertex`s ability to use effectively the patented technology to discover protease inhibitors for HCV and other diseases, Vertex`s ability to successfully develop, test and finance any new drug discovered using the patented technology, Vertex`s ability to protect its proprietary technologies, patent-infringement claims, and competitive technologies and drugs.

Vertex`s press releases are available at www.vpharm.com, or by fax-on- demand at [phone] - Code: 938395. SOURCE Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated


CONTACT: Lynne Brum, Vice President, Corporate Communications, 617-577- 6614, or Michael Partridge, Associate Director, Corporate Communications, 617- 577-6108, or Michele Karpf, Manager, Product Communications 617-577-6259 all of Vertex Pharmaceuticals/

gruss

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