Trikafta Access – Approved from 1 April 2022!
27 March 2022
Amazing news. Trikafta will be listed on the PBS from 1 April for anyone over 12 years old with at least one F508del mutation. Visit the CFA Facebook page for the latest updates.
23 March 2022
Unfortunately we received the news today that the compassionate managed access to Trikafta program will no longer be available to new applicants. Vertex has failed to renew or extend the program despite sustained appeals from both the CF Federation and the wider community.
Thankfully, patients already receiving Trikafta through Compassionate Access will continue to receive the drug, however, there remains a great number of Australians still left at risk. Compassionate Access was always a temporary solution on the journey to getting Trikafta fully funded at the federal level, however it was still extremely important. Click here for more information.
18 March 2022
Following on from the very successful Trikafta petition, CFA provided an update on what has been going on behind the scenes to get Trikafta listed on the PBS. Click here to read.
11 March 2022
The campaign for Trikafta has set a new benchmark CF awareness, with 58,274 Australians who put their signature to the petition. This is an incredible result, with more signatures than ANY other petition currently registered with the Federal Government.
Visit the Cystic Fibrosis Australia website for the latest Trikafta updates.
18 February 2022
Cystic Fibrosis Australia have released a letter to the CF community with an update on the discussions between Vertex and the government. Click here to read now. The federal Trikafta petition is still live, please sign the petition here to help Australians get access to Trikafta as soon as possible.
15 February 2022
Cystic Fibrosis Australia recently hosted a community webinar, discussing the next steps for getting access to Trikafta. Click here to watch now.
Trikafta petition
The PBAC have now officially recommended Trikafta, but people with CF cannot access the medication until it is listed on the PBS. Please sign the petition here to help Australians get access to Trikafta as soon as possible.
10 February 2022
The PBAC have now officially recommended Trikafta, but people with CF cannot access the medication until it is listed on the PBS. Please sign the petition here to help Australians get access to Trikafta as soon as possible.
4 February 2022
Cystic Fibrosis Australia have released a letter to the CF community regarding Trikafta access. Click here to read now.
1 February 2022
CFWA have received a letter from Vertex, addressed to the CF community. They have confirmed their commitment to work with the Australian Government to achieve PBS funded access to Trikafta for people with CF aged 12 years and older who have at least one F508del mutation in the CFTR gene, and will continue to provide regular updates to the CF community throughout the process. Click here to read it.
31 January 2022
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) has recommended for Trikafta to be listed on the PBS. Read below for more information about the next steps. We will update this page as more information becomes available.
What does the PBAC recommendation mean?
The PBAC helps decide whether medicines should be subsidised in Australia. The Committee is an independent statutory body established under the National Health Act 1953 to make recommendations and give advice to the Minister about which drugs and medicinal preparations should be subsidised on the PBS, taking into account medical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness compared to alternative therapies.
The PBS is an Australian Government program that benefits Australians by subsidising medicines to make them more affordable. If you are an Australian Resident and you hold a current Medicare card then you are eligible to receive benefits under the PBS.
The PBAC’s has recommended Trikafta for PBS listing for patients with CF aged 12 years or older who have at least one F508del mutation on the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene.
This is the first time the PBAC has recommended Trikafta be listed for such a broad group. This means the PBAC recognise Trikafta as a highly effective for CF treatment.
What happens next?
All PBAC recommendations are considered by Government who make the ultimate decision to subsidise a medicine. The Federal Government has previously indicated its support to list Trikafta as quickly as possible following PBAC recommendation.
This requires Vertex to work with the Government on the finer details.
We do not know how long this last part of the process will take, however as soon as we have an update we will let you know.
28 January 2022
The PBAC recommended Trikafta for PBS listing for patients with CF aged 12 years or older who have at least one F508del mutation on the CFTR gene. Read the Cystic Fibrosis Australia release here.