Henry Smith MP has welcomed the announcement that Orkambi and other lifesaving Cystic Fibrosis drugs will now be available in Crawley on the NHS.

On Thursday, 24th October, NHS England announced that it had secured an agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals to make available all three of their UK-licensed Cystic Fibrosis medicines.

This means that NHS patients will now have full access to Orkambi, Symkevi and Kalydeco, benefiting around 5,000 people who may now take up these treatments.

There is no cap on patient numbers, so every patient in England who might benefit can now get these treatments, free on the NHS. Clinicians will be able to begin prescribing these drugs within 30 days.

This agreement was only possible thanks to our world-leading life sciences sector and robust drug appraisals system, which means we can get lifesaving drugs at a fair price on the NHS.

Henry said;

“I’ve heard from a number of Crawley residents telling me just how much Cystic Fibrosis has affected them and their families, and how problematic the lack of medication has been for them.

“That’s why I’m delighted with the announcement that thousands of patients will now have full access to Cystic Fibrosis treatment, making a real difference to the lives of affected families.

“Only Boris Johnson and this Government are delivering for the NHS – putting £33.9 billion more into frontline NHS services every year, meaning we can all have the peace of mind that the NHS will be there for us whenever and whatever we need it for.”

The Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, Matt Hancock, commented;

“We’ve agreed a deal to provide Orkambi and other lifesaving Cystic Fibrosis drugs on the NHS. The deal is great value for money for the NHS, and crucially, will improve thousands of lives.

“This deal – on the back of several others this summer – shows why we get some of the best value drugs in the world, and is another reason to be so proud of our NHS.”