Vertex Cystic Fibrosis Drug Succeeds in Child Study

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX) said on Tuesday that its experimental drug for cystic fibrosis in children helped improve lung function in a 24-week study.

The latest study -- among children from the ages of six to 11 -- of the oral drug VX-770 comes a month after the drug maker reported positive results from another late-stage trial in older patients.

The company hopes to make the treatment, which targets a defective protein that causes cystic fibrosis, available as soon as possible, according to Robert Kauffman, Vertex’s chief medical officer, who noted that the company is moving ahead quickly with its U.S. and European applications for regulatory approval.

Vertex expects to submit the applications in the second half of this year.