Vertex Announces Letter of Intent With the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance for Public Reimbursement of TRIKAFTA® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) in Children With Cystic Fibrosis Ages 6 and Older

TORONTO , July 7, 2022 /CNW/ - Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Canada )  (NASDAQ:VRTX ) today announced that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), which represents an agreement in principle regarding the public reimbursement of Pr TRIKAFTA® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor) for patients ages 6 years and older who have at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR ) gene. This is an amendment of the previous LOI which includes TRIKAFTA® for ages 12 years and older, Pr KALYDECO® (ivacaftor), and Pr ORKAMBI® (lumacaftor/ivacaftor). This LOI amendment follows the positive clinical recommendation of TRIKAFTA® for people with cystic fibrosis (CF) ages 6 years and older by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH). CADTH's recommendation has removed the 90% ppFEV1 (percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second) initiation criteria for all eligible patients 6 years and older. This new recommendation supersedes CADTH's prior recommendation of TRIKAFTA® for those ages 12 years and older. "This is a significant milestone for all people living with cystic fibrosis in Canada ," said Michael Siauw , General Manager, Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Canada ). "We would like to thank CADTH, the pCPA and the participating jurisdictions for their continued collaboration. CADTH's positive clinical recommendation is consistent with the best practices of CF management and extends to all eligible patients 6 years and older. We will work quickly with the public drug plans to apply this positive clinical recommendation so that all eligible people living with CF have the opportunity to receive TRIKAFTA." The Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) in Quebec is currently conducting its health technology assessment of ... Full story available on Benzinga.com