Margarida Maia, PhD, science writer —

Discontinuing dornase alfa while on Trikafta (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) could cut down on prescription costs by more than $1 billion each year in the U.S., according to estimates based on data from a randomized controlled trial. The savings would not compromise health, at least not for the short term, as people…

Two imaging techniques, called elastography and spectroscopy, can detect liver stiffness (hardness) and the buildup of fat in the liver in children with cystic fibrosis (CF) — particularly among those with CF-related liver disease — a study found. Importantly, because elastography and spectroscopy are noninvasive, these scans may offer…

Sail Biomedicines’ experimental programmable RNA technology, called Endless RNA or eRNA, appears to result in long-lasting production of the protein that is missing or faulty in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to research funded by the CF Foundation. Producing the protein over an extended period of…

Taking CFTR modulators as a child may make boys and girls with cystic fibrosis (CF) grow about a third of an inch taller by the time they turn 18, according to a large study of data from the CF Foundation patient registry. Researchers also observed that being taller…

Structural improvements in the airways and sinuses of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) were seen on CT scans after a year on Kaftrio, and occurred alongside reductions in CF symptoms and gains in measures of lung function, according to an Italian study. “Imaging findings on CT during…

Health Canada has extended its approval of Kalydeco (ivacaftor) to treat children as young as 2 months and weighing at least three kilograms, or about 6.6 pounds, who have cystic fibrosis (CF) caused by mutations that are responsive to the medicine. The extension covers patients who carry at…

Kaftrio (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor) — known as Trikafta in the U.S. — brings broad benefits in the form of better lung function, quality of life, and cognitive processing, while also helping to ease depression and improve stool frequency for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, a real-world study in Italy found. For…

Loss of bladder or bowel control is common among adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), and such incontinence problems may impair patients’ quality of life and respiratory (breathing) care, regardless of the severity of their lung symptoms, a study found. “Persistent coughing” — a common symptom in cystic fibrosis —…

An MRI technique revealed signs of reversible bronchiectasis (widened and inflamed airways) in more than one in three people with cystic fibrosis (CF) being treated with Kaftrio, sold as Trikafta in the U.S., as part of a small one-year study in France. The technique, called ultrashort echo-time MRI, is…

Six months of treatment with Kaftrio (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor), sold as Trikafta in the U.S., leads to increases in body mass index (BMI) and fat mass in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), a small study has found. However, while BMI increased for both men and women, only women showed a…