Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D, MI) to Host Forum on Universal Healthcare

Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, will host be hosting a health care issue forum entitled, “Guaranteed Affordable Health Care For All In America: A National Symposium On Politics, Policy, & Possibilities For Change In America.” during the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, September 24-27, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC.

The health care forum will be held Thursday, September 25th, at 2pm, in room 209A. Panelists will include:

Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center at Consumer’s Union

Professor Leonard Rodberg of Queens College at the City University of New York and Research Director of Physicians for a National Healthcare Program’s New York Metro Chapter

Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Member of Congress

Mohammed Akhter, President of the National Medical Association;

Herbert Smitherman, co-author of Taking Care of the Uninsured: A Path to Reform

Marcia Dyson of Georgetown University

The event is free and open to the public.
Congressman Conyers made the Following statement regarding his upcoming issue forum:

. . . .I am very excited to be hosting my annual health care issue forum at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Legislative Weekend. This year, my forum will explore how our health care crisis affects economically disadvantaged minority communities. It is my belief that our current corporate non-system of health care is both unsustainable and inhumane. I look forward to hearing from this panel of health policy experts, politicians, and public intellectuals about potential solutions to our health care access and delivery shortcomings, which tragically fail America’s communities of color on a daily basis. . . .

Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D, MI) to Host Forum on Universal Healthcare

Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, will host be hosting a health care issue forum entitled, “Guaranteed Affordable Health Care For All In America: A National Symposium On Politics, Policy, & Possibilities For Change In America.” during the upcoming Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, September 24-27, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, NW, Washington, DC.

The health care forum will be held Thursday, September 25th, at 2pm, in room 209A. Panelists will include:

Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center at Consumer’s Union

Professor Leonard Rodberg of Queens College at the City University of New York and Research Director of Physicians for a National Healthcare Program’s New York Metro Chapter

Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee, Member of Congress

Mohammed Akhter, President of the National Medical Association;

Herbert Smitherman, co-author of Taking Care of the Uninsured: A Path to Reform

Marcia Dyson of Georgetown University

The event is free and open to the public.
Congressman Conyers made the Following statement regarding his upcoming issue forum:

. . . .I am very excited to be hosting my annual health care issue forum at the Congressional Black Caucus’ Legislative Weekend. This year, my forum will explore how our health care crisis affects economically disadvantaged minority communities. It is my belief that our current corporate non-system of health care is both unsustainable and inhumane. I look forward to hearing from this panel of health policy experts, politicians, and public intellectuals about potential solutions to our health care access and delivery shortcomings, which tragically fail America’s communities of color on a daily basis. . . .

UPDATED: Webcast — UBS Conference — Vertex’s Hep C Candidate Today

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UPDATED — 09.24.08 @3 PM EDT

Vertex’s Candidate, Teleaprevir, is
Twice as Effective as Schering’s Candidate
for Next-Gen Hep C Treatment, All
in a Short-Duration Phase III Trial!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or, “Goodbye, Mr. Spalding!”. . . .

Vertex has press released very important new top-line results (Abstract) this morning, at the UBS web-conference (webcast link, below — you’ll need to provide an email address, but it is otherwise free of charge). Vertex common stock rose 17 percent this afternoon, on huge volumes. And this, after issuing lots of dilutive common shares last week. Wow.

It would seem that teleprevir is proving efficacious in Hep C patients whose disease has previously failed other treatments, per the interim data. This is a significant advantage over the Schering candidate, boceprivir, a drug that cannot point to any data that is nearly as encouraging as this — twice daily dosing showed no detectible virus in 82 percent of patients! This compares to 35 percent rates for Schering’s boceprivir. Two more dot points:

41 percent chance of cure in a six-month regimen; 50 percent chance of cure in a 12 month regimen, in prior treatment failure patients.

That is amazing. Truly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
END, UPDATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vertex has completed the main tranche of its previously-SEC-registered common stock offering, and today announced that the underwriters had exercised a so-called “Green Shoe” (or more technically, “over-allotment“) option — purchasing additional shares, due to excess demand for the securities.

On Wednesday, Vertex will update the world on itself at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference on Wednesday — a link to that webcast, is here.

From today’s press release:

. . . .the underwriter has exercised in full its option to purchase 1,125,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $25.50 per share. The exercise of the option brings the total shares of common stock to be sold by Vertex in the offering to 8,625,000 shares. Vertex expects to receive gross proceeds from the offering, before commissions and expenses, of approximately $220 million.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as the sole book-runner for the offering. . . .

We should learn much more about the length of the lead of Vertex’s Hep C candidate, Teleprevir, over Schering’s rival Hep C candidate, on the above-webcast. Do tune in.

Webcast Update on Vertex’s Hep C Candidate This Morning

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UPDATED — 09.24.08 @3 PM EDT

Vertex’s Candidate, Teleaprevir, is
Twice as Effective as Schering’s Candidate
for Next-Gen Hep C Treatment, All
in a Short-Duration Phase III Trial!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or, “Goodbye, Mr. Spalding!”. . . .

Vertex has press released very important new top-line results (Abstract) this morning, at the UBS web-conference (webcast link, below — you’ll need to provide an email address, but it is otherwise free of charge). Vertex common stock rose 17 percent this afternoon, on huge volumes. And this, after issuing lots of dilutive common shares last week. Wow.

It would seem that teleprevir is proving efficacious in Hep C patients whose disease has previously failed other treatments, per the interim data. This is a significant advantage over the Schering candidate, boceprivir, a drug that cannot point to any data that is nearly as encouraging as this — twice daily dosing showed no detectible virus in 82 percent of patients! This compares to 35 percent rates for Schering’s boceprivir. Two more dot points:

41 percent chance of cure in a six-month regimen; 50 percent chance of cure in a 12 month regimen, in prior treatment failure patients.

That is amazing. Truly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
END, UPDATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vertex has completed the main tranche of its previously-SEC-registered common stock offering, and today announced that the underwriters had exercised a so-called “Green Shoe” (or more technically, “over-allotment“) option — purchasing additional shares, due to excess demand for the securities.

On Wednesday, Vertex will update the world on itself at the UBS Global Life Sciences Conference on Wednesday — a link to that webcast, is here.

From today’s press release:

. . . .the underwriter has exercised in full its option to purchase 1,125,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $25.50 per share. The exercise of the option brings the total shares of common stock to be sold by Vertex in the offering to 8,625,000 shares. Vertex expects to receive gross proceeds from the offering, before commissions and expenses, of approximately $220 million.

Goldman, Sachs & Co. is acting as the sole book-runner for the offering. . . .

We should learn much more about the length of the lead of Vertex’s Hep C candidate, Teleprevir, over Schering’s rival Hep C candidate, on the above-webcast. Do tune in.