BTI vs VRTX Comparison

The third-largest tobacco company by volume, British American Tobacco sold 518 billion cigarettes in 2024. Its leading brands are Dunhill, Kent, Pall Mall, Lucky Strike, and Rothmans in cigarettes. Its ownership of the Camel, Natural American Spirit, and Newport brands are limited to the US. In next-generation products, the company has the Vuse brand in vaping, Glo in heated tobacco, and Velo in modern oral tobacco. The company also owns a 22.9% stake in ITC limited, the largest Indian cigarette company.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that discovers and develops small-molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. Its key drugs are Kalydeco, Orkambi, Symdeko, and Trikafta/Kaftrio, and Alyftrek for cystic fibrosis, where Vertex therapies remain the standard of care globally. Vertex has diversified its portfolio through Casgevy, a gene-editing therapy for beta thalassemia and sickle-cell disease, and Journavx, a non-opioid pain medication approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe acute pain in adults. Additionally, Vertex is evaluating small-molecule inhibitors of APOL1-mediated kidney diseases. Vertex is also investigating cell therapies to deliver a potential functional cure for type 1 diabetes.