First patients access affordable CF medicine
Summary by AI BETAClose X
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 22 June 2026
First patients gain access to affordable, lifesaving cystic fibrosis medicine
- Patients and families travelled from around the world to become the first to access the new affordable treatment Triko, that transforms the lives of cystic fibrosis patients
- Bangladeshi company, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, are producing the generic version of Trikafta that costs over $350,000 less per patient per year - 96% less than the patented version
DHAKA, Bangladesh, 22 June 2026: The first patients in the world to receive a generic version of the lifesaving cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment, ETI (elexicaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor, known under the brand name Trikafta or Kaftrio) have collected their medicines from the manufacturer, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, in a ceremony in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Priced at almost $370,000 per patient per year in the US, tens of thousands of children and young people around the world have continued to get sick and die despite the existence of this lifesaving treatment. The prohibitively expensive monopoly price has generated unprecedented profits for the patent holder, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, but has blocked thousands of patients and their families from gaining access.
Cystic fibrosis is a rare genetic condition that cuts life expectancy dramatically. Without diagnosis and treatment many patients die within their first two years of life, and in many parts of the world few expect to live much into adulthood. But this new generic version, made at Beximco Pharma's world class facilities, and priced at $6,375 for children and $12,750 per year for adults, gives new hope of accessing its transformative effects.
"I felt the effect within an hour - I started coughing and I knew it was working. My lungs were clearing" said Šimon Ševčík, who travelled with his father, Stanislav, from Slovakia to collect the medicine and started using it the next day. "This is an amazing moment for me - I feel like my future has opened up. I hope every CF patient gets to experience this very, very soon. For most of my life this medicine was not an option for me. Finally, there is an effective, affordable treatment."
While some patients in Slovakia currently have access to Vertex's Kaftrio through national reimbursement agreements, individuals with less common CF mutations, like Simon, remain excluded from coverage.
Simon was among patients from five countries - Slovakia, South Africa, Qatar, USA, UK, and Bangladesh - to collect the first doses of Triko - the name of the new, generic version last week. He was there alongside Josua and his mum Wilna Lottering from South Africa. Josua has just turned 18 and it was an emotional moment for his mother:
"My own mother died of CF when I was a child. Despite this, my son Josua was only diagnosed last year. For years CF was a disease I couldn't even bring myself to read about. But this treatment is going to transform both our lives. No more fear. We can't express how grateful we are. I see a light in Josua's eyes that I haven't seen for a very long time."
Six year old Aadil from Bangladesh has also just secured access to Triko. His father, Mustafizur, spoke about the importance of the moment.
""It has been so heartbreaking trying to keep my son alive and healthy. I have tried so many things - nebulisers, special vibration vests to help him clear his lungs, and so many trips to the doctors and hospital. He has suffered so much, and he has not been able to gain any weight. Accessing Vertex's drugs was impossible for me - I was forced to watch my son get sicker as they got rich. We felt helpless and desperate. But today marks a new beginning for us, and we are so grateful for the compassion, dedication, and hard work that made this possible for Aadil. For the first time in years, we have real hope. We hope Triko will give Aadil a healthier, longer life and allow him to dream about a future that once seemed impossible. We also hope that every person living with cystic fibrosis, no matter where they are born, will soon have the same chance."
The handover ceremony was an important milestone in a years-long battle to secure universal access to CF modulator treatment led by the global grassroots Right to Breathe campaign. The development of an affordable generic was publicly announced at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) in Seattle, Washington on 23 October 2025, by a coalition of parents of children living with CF. Over the coming weeks and months more and more patients will secure access to the medicine with the support of their clinicians.
CF is a rare but life-threatening genetic disorder characterised by the build-up of thick mucus in the lungs and digestive system, severely impairing respiratory function. Until recently, the disease was associated with death in early adulthood. Today, approximately 160,000 people worldwide are living with CF, with an estimated 80,000 further cases thought to be undiagnosed, 82% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries.
Trikafta® (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) has transformed treatment outcomes and significantly improves survival rates for CF patients. However, a patent monopoly has allowed the manufacturer, Vertex, to demand a US list price of $370,000 per year, placing it beyond the reach of the vast majority of patients globally.
Beximco Pharma is headquartered in Bangladesh, a country classified as a Least Developed Country (LDC) by the United Nations. Under the World Trade Organization's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), LDC member states are exempt from enforcing pharmaceutical patents, providing a legal basis for the company to manufacture and export generic versions of patented medicines and forms the foundation upon which the initiative was built.
TRIKO®, Beximco Pharma's generic version of the combination ETI therapy, is priced at $12,750 per year for adults and $6,375 per year for children, representing a 96% reduction against the US list price of the originator product. At this price point, 58 children can receive treatment for the same cost as treating one child with the branded medicine. With a dose reduction protocol pioneered by South African CF clinicians, the cost to treat a child for a year drops to less than $2000.
BEXDECO®, Beximco's separately launched generic version of ivacaftor, one of the three active components of Trikafta® is also available at $5 per tablet, extending access options for patients who require this component as a standalone therapy.
For the initial period following launch, supply will be managed on a named-patient basis through the CF Buyers' Club, with plans to progressively expand access to the broader global CF community as manufacturing capacity is scaled.
Gayle Pledger, Campaign Lead, Right to Breathe, a CF parent and patient advocate from the United Kingdom, says, "I saw my daughter suffering from CF for years. I could not leave mums in the same position around the world to suffer that fate alone when a drug that could save their child's life exists. We have been fighting to overcome the greed of Vertex to secure sustainable access to CF modulators for years. Today, as the first patients are already starting to feel the beneficial effects of a genuinely affordable generic version, we know that Vertex can no longer hold CF patient's lives to ransom to boost their profits and enrich their executives. We have the power in our community, with Beximco's support and expertise, to save the lives Vertex would have let die."
Rabbur Reza, Chief Operating Officer, Beximco Pharma, says, "At Beximco Pharma, we have always sought to address the unmet medical needs of patients, particularly in therapy areas characterised by severely limited access. We are deeply proud to be part of this meaningful initiative. We believe that access to this life-saving treatment will have a truly transformative impact on the thousands of patients living with CF who are currently deprived of treatment due to the significant cost burden."
ENDS
Contact:
On behalf of Beximco:
FTI Consulting
Simon Conway / Sam Purewal / Lucy Molloy
Tel: +44 (0)20 3727 1000
Right to Breathe Campaign:
Gayle Pledger
+44 (0) 7905217676
Notes to Editors
About Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited
Beximco Pharma is a leading manufacturer and exporter of medicines based in Bangladesh. Since its inception in 1976, the Company remains committed to the health and wellbeing of people across all the continents by providing access to contemporary medicines. Company's broad portfolio of generics encompasses diverse delivery systems such as tablets, capsules, liquids, semi-solids, intravenous fluids, metered dose inhalers, dry powder inhalers, sterile ophthalmic drops, insulins, prefilled syringes, injectables, nebuliser solutions, oral soluble films etc. The Company also undertakes contract manufacturing for multinational and leading global generic pharmaceutical companies.
Beximco Pharma′s state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities are certified by global regulatory authorities of USA, Europe, Australia, Canada, GCC and Latin America, among others and it has a geographic footprint in more than 50 countries. More than 6,000 employees are driving the company towards achieving its aspiration to be among the most admired companies in the region.
About the Right to Breathe Campaign
The global Right to Breathe Campaign is a global, grassroots movement of CF patients, parents, and clinicians and allied access to medicines activists and experts. Led by Vertex Save Us and Just Treatment, it has been campaigning to overcome Vertex's monopoly abuse and profiteering since 2023. They have helped to relaunch the CF Buyers' Club to facilitate patients and their families to use legal flexibilities to access more affordable CF treatment, and have worked closely with Beximco Pharmaceuticals to develop the affordable Triko and Bexdeco products.
For further information please visit www.cfbuyersclub.org or www.beximcopharma.com
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