Development towards Hepatitis C treatment

(The Boston Globe, November 05, 2013)

Idenix Pharmaceuticals is a Cambridge biotech firm working on drugs to treat hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that affects an estimated 150 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization. Hepatitis C is spread primarily by sharing needles with others who have the virus. It can be transmitted sexually, similar to HIV, and also can be passed from mothers to newborns. Idenix' drug candidates are seen as very promising, and one of their antivirals is now going into clinical trials in Belgium and Canada. These developments have led the Baupost Group, the largest hedge fund firm in Boston, to buy up more than one-quarter of the company's stock.