Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Boston-based drugmaker Vertex, which specializes in rare disorders like cystic fibrosis, doesn’t always attract Big Pharma–level attention. But the firm is on a serious growth trajectory, slated for double-digit expansion in the coming years, per analysts. And the company is branching out into new, brand-name science it hopes can add to its $43 billion market value, including a recent $950 million deal to acquire Semma Therapeutics—a startup that aims to use stem cells to cure Type 1 diabetes.

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