information:filtering
Other medication

In 2019, the combination drug elexacaftor/ivacaftor/tezacaftor, marketed as Trikafta,was approved for CF patients over the age of 12 in the United States. In 2021, this was extended to include patients over the age of 6. In Europe this drug was approved in 2020 and marketed as Kaftrio. It is used in those that have a f508del mutation, which occurs in about 90% of patients with cystic fibrosis. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, "this medicine represents the single greatest therapeutic advancement in the history of CF, offering a treatment for the underlying cause of the disease that could eventually bring modulator therapy to 90 percent of people with CF." In a clinical trial, participants who were administered the combination drug experienced a subsequent 63% decrease in pulmonary exacerbations and a 41.8 mmol/L decrease in sweat chloride concentration. By mitigating a repertoire of symptoms associated with cystic fibrosis, the combination drug significantly improved quality-of-life metrics among patients with the disease as well. The combination drug is also known to interact with CYP3A inducers, such as carbamazepine used in the treatment of bipolar disorder, causing elexafaftor/ivacaftor/tezacaftor to circulate in the body at decreased concentrations. As such, concurrent use is not recommended. The list price in the US is going to be $311,000 per year; however, insurance may cover much of the cost of the drug.