For many of us, good health is something we take for granted. But for Australians living with Cystic Fibrosis, this isn’t a given. With half of people with CF passing away by the age of 32, we need fast access to life-saving treatments.

While there is currently no cure for this condition, there is a drug – Trikafta – that has been shown to significantly improve lung function and quality of life for people with CF. Amazingly, this is 3-5X better than previous medications and is predicted to add decades to life expectancy. The problem is that it costs $420,000 for a one-year supply. Putting Trikafta on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme would change the lives of Australians living with Cystic Fibrosis by making it affordable.

Without Trikafta, people with CF will continue to wake up each day and wonder what hurdle might lay ahead. They’ll struggle to breathe, with every cough, cold and flu potentially life-threatening. Trikafta has already been life-changing for people who have been able to access it, with one woman saying that, “for the first time in my life, I feel like I can breathe when I wake up in the morning.”

The CF community is relying on the Government and in particular the Health Minister to support our pleas for access and we expect him to do everything in his power to make life extending drugs available in Australia. The Minister has listened to the CF community previously and we are grateful for his understanding and support. Australia has one of the best health systems in the world, but we are being left behind the 14 countries that have approved Trikafta. People in the US have had access for 1.5 years now; 1.5 years whilst Australians with CF have been getting sicker.

The CF community is also relying on Vertex, the company that says it’s all in for CF and that they’re committed to finding a treatment for everyone with CF, to be much more reasonable during the negotiations and put lives before profit. Lives can’t be saved if we can’t afford Trikafta.

Australians with CF need the PBAC and Vertex to negotiate and finalise a deal as quickly as possible, and we need compassionate access during the negotiations. We can’t tolerate a long drawn out PBAC negotiation process again; every day the CF community is denied Trikafta lives are shortened. When we work together to make noise, change will follow #YesToTrikafta #LivesBeforeProfit #CFCantWait