Vertex Pharmaceuticals to acquire ViroChem Pharma

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. A company developing a drug for treating hepatitis C will add two more drugs for the disease to its portfolio by acquiring a company based in Quebec.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced Tuesday that it would acquire ViroChem Pharma, a privately held company, for $100 million in cash and 9.9 million shares of Vertex common stock.

Vertex is developing telaprevir, a protease inhibitor for fighting the hepatitis C virus in phase 3 development, while ViroChem is developing two polymerase inhibitors.

“This acquisition significantly strengthens our pipeline in hepatitis C by bringing together Vertex’s telaprevir, our HCV protease inhibitor in registration studies, with the HCV non-nucleoside polymerase inhibitors being developed by ViroChem,” Vertex CEO Joshua Boger said in a statement. “Through this acquisition, we’re well-positioned as a leader in the development of HCV therapies.”