The Vertex Foundation and Employees Donate $1 Million Through Matching Gift Program

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that Vertex employees and The Vertex Foundation have together donated over $1 million through the Company’s new dollar-for-dollar matching gift program. The funds demonstrate the Company’s long-term commitment to giving back and to supporting employees’ deep commitment to strengthening their communities.

The matching gift program launched on November 28, 2017 and was created to extend the impact of employee donations to qualified nonprofit organizations. The program is operated through The Vertex Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization and long-term source of charitable giving, and is part of Vertex’s sustained corporate giving commitment of $500 million over the next 10 years. To date, more than 500 employees have participated in the program, donating to 753 charities across the world that support health care, human services, education and disaster relief, among other causes.

“Giving back is in our DNA at Vertex, and our employees have a long history of going the extra mile to improve the lives of patients, students and their neighbors,” said Dr. Jeffrey Leiden, President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “I’m proud that The Vertex Foundation is able to help extend the impact of our employees’ giving and look forward to seeing the reach of these investments in the causes they care about most.”

Vertex’s 10-year, $500 million corporate giving commitment is focused on supporting the following areas:

• The cystic fibrosis (CF) patient community globally, including enabling access to our medicines;
• Science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) education, focused on underserved students and young women;
• Developing young physicians and scientists; and
• Strengthening our local communities, including fostering the innovation ecosystem and supporting youth health and wellness.

About Vertex
Vertex is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious and life-threatening diseases. In addition to clinical development programs in CF, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of other serious diseases.

Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Mass., Vertex's headquarters is now located in Boston's Innovation District. Today, the company has research and development sites and commercial offices in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. Vertex is consistently recognized as one of the industry's top places to work, including being named to Science magazine's Top Employers in the life sciences ranking for eight years in a row. For additional information and the latest updates from the company, please visit www.vrtx.com.

For Funding Requests please visit https://www.vrtx.com/giving-back.

(VRTX-GEN)

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