Yuchun Lee Appointed to the Vertex Board of Directors

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) today announced that Yuchun Lee joined its board of directors as an independent director. Mr. Lee was appointed to the class of directors whose term expires in 2013. The Vertex board currently consists of 10 members.

“Yuchun will bring an invaluable perspective to our board – one founded upon his belief that today, companies must provide both reliable real time information and innovative products to customers to be successful in establishing a global business based upon trust.”

“As a proven leader in the development and execution of global information technologies and digital marketing strategies, I look forward to Yuchun’s insights as we continue to grow our business,” said Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. “Yuchun will bring an invaluable perspective to our board – one founded upon his belief that today, companies must provide both reliable real time information and innovative products to customers to be successful in establishing a global business based upon trust.”

Mr. Lee is currently the Vice President and General Manager of IBM’s Enterprise Marketing Management Group where he directs a team of nearly 2,000 IBM employees and is a key architect in IBM’s global initiative to serve the needs of Chief Marketing Officers. Lee’s team is focused on providing solutions to help businesses better understand their customers via social media, mobile behavior and real-time access to consumer information, leveraging analytics to optimize customer communication and engagement.

The Enterprise Marketing Management Group at IBM was formed following the acquisition of Unica, a recognized leader in marketing software where Mr. Lee was the founder and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Lee founded Unica in 1992, and the company went public in 2005, growing to nearly 600 employees before merging with IBM in 2010. Before co-founding Unica, he held senior positions with Digital Equipment Corporation, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory and the MIT Media Labs.

Mr. Lee is widely recognized as an accomplished entrepreneur and global thought leader in the area of information technologies. He is a co-inventor on several key patents in data mining and software optimization and is a former recipient of the Ernst and Young New England Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Technology Media and Marketing. Before receiving his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mr. Lee founded his first software company while still in high school. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from Babson College.

About Vertex

Vertex creates new possibilities in medicine. Our team discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapies so people with serious diseases can lead better lives.

Vertex scientists and our collaborators are working on new medicines to cure or significantly advance the treatment of hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy and other life-threatening diseases.

Founded more than 20 years ago in Cambridge, MA, we now have ongoing worldwide research programs and sites in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Today, Vertex has more than 2,000 employees around the world, and Science magazine named Vertex number one on its 2011 list of Top Employers in the life sciences.

Vertex's press releases are available at www.vrtx.com.

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