Vertex Appoints Stuart A. Arbuckle as Chief Operating Officer

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that Stuart A. Arbuckle has been appointed as the company’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. Mr. Arbuckle has served as Vertex’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer since 2012 and expanded his role to include oversight of operations earlier this year.

“This is an exciting time for Vertex, as we continue to expand access to our cystic fibrosis portfolio around the world and prepare to bring forward new therapies with the potential to transform the treatment of multiple serious diseases,” said Reshma Kewalramani, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Vertex. “Stuart built out our world-class commercial teams in both the U.S. and International and led the effort to secure the reimbursement of our medicines around the world. He also has played a key role evolving our operating model to ready us for continued expansion into new diseases and geographic areas. In his new role, Stuart will ensure that we are best positioned to maximize the potential of our innovative therapies, secure access for patients and drive continued growth for Vertex.”

As Vertex’s COO, Mr. Arbuckle oversees Vertex’s global Commercial team, which is responsible for the company’s reimbursement and access, sales, marketing, patient support, market research, as well as Commercial Manufacturing and Supply Chain, and other activities that support the approved use of Vertex’s marketed medicines around the world. Mr. Arbuckle also oversees the Human Resources and Corporate Communications functions.

Mr. Arbuckle has more than 30 years of experience leading global sales and marketing efforts at biopharmaceutical companies, including at Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline plc. Mr. Arbuckle currently serves as a member of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and ImmunoGen's board of directors, as a national board member of the Cancer Support Community, and on the Executive Committee and Health Section Governing Board for the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). He is also co-chair of the BIO Standing Committee on Access & Value.

Mr. Arbuckle earned a degree in pharmacology and physiology from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.

About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases. The company has multiple approved medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF) — a rare, life-threatening genetic disease — and has several ongoing clinical and research programs in CF. Beyond CF, Vertex has a robust pipeline of investigational small molecule medicines in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including pain, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. In addition, Vertex has a rapidly expanding pipeline of cell and genetic therapies for diseases such as sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex's global headquarters is now located in Boston's Innovation District and its international headquarters is in London. Additionally, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in North America, Europe, Australia and Latin America. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including 11 consecutive years on Science magazine's Top Employers list and a best place to work for LGBTQ equality by the Human Rights Campaign. For company updates and to learn more about Vertex's history of innovation, visit www.vrtx.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

Vertex Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including, without limitation, the statements in the second, paragraph of this press release. While Vertex believes the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are accurate, these forward-looking statements represent the company’s beliefs only as of the date of this press release and there are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Those risks and uncertainties include, among other things, risks listed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Vertex's most recent annual report and subsequent quarterly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and available through the company’s website at www.vrtx.com. You should not place undue reliance on these statements. Vertex disclaims any obligation to update the information contained in this press release as new information becomes available.

(VRTX-GEN)