Deal struck for Orkambi and Kalydeco availability in Ireland

US biotech Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: VRTX) says it has reached an agreement with the Health Service Executive (HSE) in the Republic of Ireland to fund Orkambi (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) for all of the around 500 people in Ireland with cystic fibrosis (CF) aged 12 and older who have two copies of the F508del mutation.

The agreement also expands access to Kalydeco (ivacaftor) for children aged two to five with any approved gating mutation (G551D, G178R, S549N, S549R, G551S, G1244E, S1251N, S1255P and G1349D) and to people ages 18 and older who have an R117H mutation. These reimbursements are effective immediately. This innovative long-term agreement also enables rapid access for people with these mutations if the labels of the existing medicines are expanded to cover additional age groups and if new Vertex medicines are approved for these populations.

“We are pleased that these additional Irish CF patients will finally join the thousands of others around the world who are already benefitting from Orkambi and Kalydeco,” said Simon Bedson, senior vice president and international general manager at Vertex.