- Written by GlobalData's senior healthcare analyst for infectious diseases, Dr. Ramya Kartikeyan.

On July 25th, Idenix Pharmaceuticals, the Cambridge-based  biotechnology company, announced that their drug, IDX719, was granted a Fast Track designation by the FDA. IDX719, an NS5A inhibitor, is designed to treat chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in patients. The Fast Track designation will enable Idenix Pharmaceuticals to shave precious time off their predicted timeline for a new drug application (NDA), and even increase interaction with the FDA to guarantee a quicker review and a shorter time to market.