Access to Cystic Fibrosis drug Kaftrio

That this House welcomes the landmark deal secured by the NHS in June 2020 which permitted the licensing of Cystic Fibrosis (CF) drug Kaftrio to a large number of people with CF aged 12 years and over in the UK; recognises the life-changing effect of access to this new drug for CF patients in the UK eligible for prescription; however notes with concern that the deal secured by NHS England excludes many CF patients with specific gene mutations because England is the only nation awaiting approval of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for its use by patients with additional mutations; further notes the disparity between England and the devolved nations since Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have granted access for CF patients with additional mutations approved by the US Food and Drug Administration; acknowledges that the alternative pathways offered to patients by NHS England whilst they await EMA approval such as applications on compassionate grounds or individual funding are often time-consuming and ineffective; and urges NHS England to bring eligibility criteria into line with the devolved nations by granting access without caveat to CF patients with additional gene mutations.