News

Phase 1 Study of KB407 Green-lighted in Australia

A research ethics committee in Australia has given Krystal Biotech the go-ahead to start a Phase 1 clinical study of KB407, the company’s investigational inhaled gene therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF). Enrollment for the trial is expected to start soon, according to Krystal, following approval from the…

Trikafta Now Covered in 2 More Canadian Provinces

The publicly funded drug access programs in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan are now covering the triple-combination therapy Trikafta for eligible patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). These provinces join Ontario as the first to confirm coverage of Trikafta in Canada. “It’s a relief to know that…

Screening Infants Helps, But Care Needs Improvement

The implementation of newborn screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) in the U.S. allowed for early diagnosis and clinical evaluation of affected infants, and reduced rates of serious lung infections and hospitalizations over time, according to data from the first nine years of universal screening. However, early nutritional deficits…

Patients in Ontario Can Now Access Trikafta Through Public Plan

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) in Ontario, Canada, will now have access to the triple-combination therapy Trikafta through the province’s publicly funded drug program. “Our government has taken urgent action to ensure all cystic fibrosis patients will have more timely access to the effective and lifechanging treatments they need,”…

Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria in Fish Treated by Adding Phage Therapy

Scientists using phage therapy — specifically a bacteriophage they dubbed “Muddy” — successfully treated an infection by an antibiotic-resistant strain of Mycobacterium abscessus bacteria in a zebrafish model of cystic fibrosis (CF). For five days, the team treated the zebrafish, which were infected with M. abscessus, a lung-damaging bacteria…

Public Reimbursement of Trikafta Nears in Canada

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has signed a letter of intent with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance (pCPA), which is an agreement in principle to extend public reimbursement to Trikafta, a triple-combination therapy for eligible cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. The extension adds to the letter of intent (LOI) with the pCPA for…