Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals is in a dispute with Canadian officials over access to its cystic fibrosis drugs, STAT reported.
The dispute focuses on three of Vertex's drugs, Kalydeco, Orkambi and Symdeco, all designed to treat cystic fibrosis. All three drugs are approved for use in Canada, but Vertex and the pan-Canadian Pricing Alliance have yet to agree on reimbursement rates to make the drug affordable for Canadian patients.
Vertex told STAT it has made five different offers to the pricing alliance for reimbursement rates over the past several years, and it has received no feedback or the opportunity to hold negotiations.
A spokesperson for the pricing alliance told STAT it has held talks with Vertex over the last several weeks, including an in-person meeting last month.
The alliance spokesperson added that the agency has reached an agreement with Vertex for the Kalydeco drug, but declined to hold talks on Orkambi because of questions about its cost and clinical effectiveness.
The dispute comes just a few weeks after a Canadian woman who was denied access to one of Vertex's cystic fibrosis drugs died. The drug she was denied isn't yet approved in Canada.
Read the full article here.