Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if her Department will take steps to promote the usage of Kaftrio as a treatment for cystic fibrosis.

The cystic fibrosis medicine Kaftrio (ivacaftor/tezacaftor/elexacaftor) is currently available as a treatment option for eligible National Health Service patients under the terms of an interim access agreement. The agreement has made Kaftrio and other cystic fibrosis medicines available at a reduced price and for a limited time, while enabling the collection of data to inform an appraisal by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to determine whether the medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS. On 15 November 2023, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved a new licence extension, and children as young as two with cystic fibrosis are now eligible to receive Kaftrio through the interim access agreement. The NICE appraisal is now underway and NICE recently consulted on its draft guidance.