Vertex, NHS England reach agreement on access to CF drugs

Nearly four years after the European approval of Vertex’s first cystic fibrosis combo therapy Orkambi, the company and NHS England have finally reached an agreement to make all three of Vertex’s approved CF therapies available to patients in England.

The deal consists of a two-year managed access agreement under which CF patients in England get immediate access to Orkambi lumacaftor/ivacaftor and Symkevi tezacaftor/ivacaftor, and expanded access to Kalydeco ivacaftor. The deal does not include automatic access to Trikafta elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor -- the new triple therapy from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:VRTX) that FDA approved three days ago -- or all future CF therapies, such as the portfolio-style deals the company has agreed with countries such as Ireland...