For more than two years an emotive battle has been raging over Orkambi, which tackles the cause of cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is a rare disease, affecting 10,400 people in the UK, where the genetic fault is most common, and about 100,000 worldwide. In 2017, the NHS drugs bill was £16bn and rising at 7% a year. Vertex would be compensated under the UK law with a much smaller sum than it could otherwise earn from its monopoly of the three cystic fibrosis drugs. “It is happening with so many cancer drugs and now cystic fibrosis,” he said.

Source: The Guardian February 03, 2019 18:00 UTC