Vertex rises after kidney disease drug shows promise in mid-stage study
** Shares of Vertex Pharmaceuticals VRTX.O rise 1.1% to $516.53
** The biotech firm says its experimental drug inaxaplin cut protein in urine, a key sign of kidney damage, by 42.7% after 13 weeks in patients with APOL1-mediated kidney disease
** The genetic kidney disorder mainly affects people of African ancestry and can lead to kidney failure; no approved therapies exist
** Co says the drug also cut protein levels by 17.3% in patients who had both the disease and type 2 diabetes
** Says inaxaplin was generally safe and well tolerated, with no treatment-related serious side effects
** Including session's move, stock up ~14% YTD