Pharmac seeking feedback on funding Trikafta

Te Pātaka Whaioranga – Pharmac has reached a provisional agreement with medicine supplier Vertex to fund Trikafta.

“Following our budget increase in May 2022 and commercial negotiations with the supplier, Vertex, I am thrilled to announce today that we are initiating consultation on the funding of Trikafta for people aged 6 years and above with cystic fibrosis who meet certain eligibility criteria,” says Pharmac’s director of operations Lisa Williams.

“Trikafta has the potential to make a substantial difference to the lives of those people in New Zealand living with cystic fibrosis and for their whānau and communities too. We estimate that, if funded, Trikafta could give people with cystic fibrosis up to 27 more years at full health, when compared with supportive care. This would significantly reduce the impact of the condition on people with cystic fibrosis, their whānau and communities.

“We have been actively working towards this step in the funding process since receiving recommendations from both our Respiratory Advisory Committee and from our Pharmacology and Therapeutics Advisory Committee (PTAC) that the medicine should be funded. Our expert advisors have told us that treatment with Trikafta significantly improves lung function and other symptoms of cystic fibrosis. The evidence is clear that Trikafta can benefit people with cystic fibrosis, so we are pleased to start consultation on a proposal to fund it.

“I want to acknowledge the time that many people have put into advocating for those living with cystic fibrosis and to those who have shared their own very personal stories with us. We have heard them all, and we know there will be a lot of people thrilled to hear that we are proposing to fund Trikafta.”

The consultation is available on the Pharmac website for anyone wanting to have their say.

“Consultation is a very important step in our process,” says Ms Williams. “It’s how we check that the people who will get the most benefit from the medicines will be able to access them. If approved, we will also be working closely with our colleagues across the health sector to plan for the implementation of Trikafta.

“We have been saying that we wanted to fund Trikafta – and now we are a step closer,” says Ms Williams.

Funding of Trikafta is proposed to start 1 April 2023.