ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 19 -- United States Patent no. 12,331,057, issued on June 17, was assigned to Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Boston).

"Modulators of alpha-1 antitrypsin" was invented by Upul Keerthi Bandarage (Lexington, Mass.), Cavan McKeon Bligh (Melrose, Mass.), Diane Boucher (South Hamilton, Mass.), Michael John Boyd (Sharon, Mass.), Michael Aaron Brodney (Newton, Mass.), Michael Philip Clark (Concord, Mass.), Veronique Damagnez (Boston), Lev Tyler Dewey Fanning (San Marcos, Calif.), Robert Francis Fimognari (Brookline, Mass.), Gabrielle Simone Fleming (Boston), Kevin James Gagnon (Burlington, Mass.), Pedro Manuel Garcia Barrantes (Melrose, Mass.), Robert Daniel Giacometti (Malden, Mass.), Simon Giroux (Cambridge, Mass.), Ronald Le...