Fast Pitch: Vertex Pharmaceuticals

The analysis below first appeared in Motley Fool CAPS back in December. Click here for more CAPS coverage from this contributor on more than 43 stocks in the biotech sector.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) is a biotechnology company that creates small-molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. The firm has two HIV drugs on the market now, Lexiva and Agenerase, which are marketed by partner GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK). Top priorities in the company's development pipeline include drugs for hepatitis C, rheumatoid arthritis, and cystic fibrosis.

2007 is expected to be a very eventful year for the company, as it will furnish some important clinical trial results for its investigational drugs. Recently disclosed results on its groundbreaking hepatitis C drug telaprevir have been quite encouraging. Early telaprevir results indicate it could deliver a major advance. This has garnered the interest of Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), which has become Vertex's partner on the product. Now all eyes will be glued to the sustained virological response (SVR) data on telaprevir, which is expected to be available this year.

Considering the fact that well more than 170 million people are infected by the hepatitis C virus, and the rapid growth of this disease in the global market, those augur well for telaprevir, which is expected to emerge as a potential blockbuster drug for the company.

In our view, the positive outlook for Lexiva for HIV and achievements from telaprevir will drive the company forward in 2007.

Fast pitches are designed to provide high-level analysis on a wide array of companies from various sectors. This analysis has been provided by Netscribes. Click here for more Netscribes research across a variety of sectors on CAPS. Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a Rule Breakers recommendation and Microsoft is a Motley Fool Inside Value pick. Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline are Income Investor selections. To provide feedback on this article, please click on the "feedback" button below.