875320--2/19/2010--VERTEX_PHARMACEUTICALS_INC_/

related topics

{product, candidate, development}

{acquisition, growth, future}

{product, liability, claim}

{loss, insurance, financial}

{stock, price, share}

{debt, indebtedness, cash}

{personnel, key, retain}

{stock, price, operating}

{property, intellectual, protect}

{cost, regulation, environmental}

{provision, law, control}

{control, financial, internal}

{financial, litigation, operation}

{operation, international, foreign}

Risks Related to Our Business We expect to incur future losses, and we may never become profitable. We depend heavily on the success of our lead drug candidate, telaprevir, which is still being evaluated in a registration program. If we are unable to commercialize telaprevir, or experience delays in doing so, our business will be materially harmed. All of our drug candidates remain subject to clinical testing and regulatory approval. If we are unable to successfully develop and test our drug candidates, we will not be successful. If we are unable to obtain United States and/or foreign regulatory approval, we will be unable to commercialize our drug candidates. If clinical trials for our drug candidates are prolonged or delayed, we will be unable to commercialize our drug candidates as currently planned, which would require us to incur additional costs, would delay our receipt of any product revenue and could harm our competitive position. The results from our and our collaborators' clinical development activities and the clinical development activities of our competitors are released periodically, and have often resulted in significant volatility in the price of our common stock. If our competitors bring superior drugs to market or bring their drugs to market before we do, we may be unable to find a market for our drug candidates. If we are unable to develop effective independent sales and marketing capabilities or establish third-party relationships for the commercialization of our drug candidates, we will not be able to successfully commercialize our drug candidates, particularly telaprevir, even if we are able to obtain regulatory approval. We are investing significant resources in our development program for VX-770, based primarily on data from a relatively small clinical trial in which patients received VX-770 over a short duration. If we are unable to show the safety and efficacy of VX-770, or experience delays in doing so, our business could be materially harmed. If physicians, patients and third-party payors do not accept our future drugs, we may be unable to generate significant revenues, if any. Government and other third-party payors seek to contain costs of health care through legislative and other means and if they fail to provide coverage and adequate payment rates for our future drugs, our revenues and prospects for profitability will be harmed. If our processes and systems are not compliant with regulatory requirements, we could be subject to delays in submitting NDAs or restrictions on marketing of drugs after they have been approved. We depend on our collaborators to work with us to develop, manufacture and commercialize many of our drug candidates. Our investment in the clinical development and manufacture of a commercial supply of telaprevir may not result in any benefit to us if telaprevir is not approved for commercial sale. We depend on third-party manufacturers, including sole source suppliers, to manufacture materials for clinical trials and expect to continue to rely on them to meet our commercial supply needs for any drug candidate that is approved for sale. We may not be able to maintain these relationships and could experience supply disruptions outside of our control. We may need to raise additional capital that may not be available. We may not be successful in developing any of the drug candidates we acquired in our March 2009 acquisition of ViroChem and, as a result, we may not realize any benefits from this acquisition and could be subject to significant impairment charges in future periods. We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials, and those third parties may not perform satisfactorily, including failing to meet established deadlines for the completion of such trials. Issuances of additional shares of our common stock could cause the price of our common stock to decline. Outstanding indebtedness may make it more difficult to obtain additional financing or reduce our flexibility to act in our best interests. If we acquire or license technologies, resources or drug candidates, we will incur a variety of costs and may never realize benefits from the transaction. If we obtain regulatory approvals, our drug candidates will be subject to ongoing regulatory review. If we fail to comply with continuing United States and applicable foreign regulations, we could lose those approvals, and our business would be seriously harmed. Our drug development efforts are data-driven and therefore potentially subject to abrupt changes in expected outcomes. We may not have the resources to develop and commercialize all the drug candidates for which we have rights and we may not be able to attract collaborators for the development and commercialization of these drug candidates Risks associated with our international business relationships could materially adversely affect our business. If we fail to expand our human resources, and in particular our commercial organization, and manage our growth effectively, our business may suffer. The loss of the services of key employees or the failure to effectively integrate key employees could negatively impact our business and future growth. If our patents do not protect our drugs, or our drugs infringe third-party patents, we could be subject to litigation and substantial liabilities. Our business has a substantial risk of product liability claims. If we are unable to obtain appropriate levels of insurance, a product liability claim could adversely affect our business. If we do not comply with laws regulating the protection of the environment and health and human safety, our business could be adversely affected. We have adopted anti-takeover provisions and are subject to Massachusetts corporate laws that may frustrate any attempt to remove or replace our current management or effectuate a business combination involving Vertex. Our stock price may fluctuate based on factors beyond our control. Our estimates of our liability under our Kendall Square lease may be inaccurate. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

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875320--2/19/2010--VERTEX_PHARMACEUTICALS_INC_/_MA