Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings, posting adjusted profit of $4.52 a share versus analysts’ $4.26 estimate and beating revenue projections. Sales were helped by a $30.4 million contribution from the recently launched gene-editing therapy Casgevy for sickle-cell disease and β-thalassaemia. The Boston-based biotechnology group reaffirmed its full-year revenue outlook of $11.85 billion to $12 billion, broadly in line with Wall Street consensus, and said the rest of its pipeline and commercial portfolio remain on track. The earnings beat was overshadowed by a setback in the company’s pain programme. VX-993, a selective NaV1.8 inhibitor formulated for post-surgical acute pain, failed to outperform placebo in a Phase 2 bunionectomy study. While the intravenous drug was judged safe and well-tolerated, Vertex said it will not advance VX-993 as a monotherapy for acute pain, though trials in diabetic neuropathy continue. Investors focused on the trial failure, sending Vertex shares lower despite the solid quarter. Management told analysts the company remains committed to developing non-opioid pain treatments and will concentrate on other NaV1.8 candidates already in late-stage testing.