1454 ET - Vertex Pharmaceuticals seems not to have explored alternatives before its deal for kidney-disease treatment developer Alpine. Evercore ISI analysts Liisa Bayko and Jingming Chen say in a research note that Vertex revealed in a regulatory filing that it did not engage with the other major player in the B-cell modulator space, Vera Therapeutics. Vera and Alpine are both developing a form of treatment for IgA nephropathy, a common kidney disease with limited treatment options. The analysts say that they expect Vera to be one of the first companies to have its B-cell modulator approved, given its stage in development. Vera shares climb 3%, while Alpine is up 0.1% and Vertex rises 1.4%. (ben.glickman@wsj.com; @benglickman)
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 23, 2024 14:54 ET (18:54 GMT)
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