Compulsory License On Table In UK For Orkambi

The UK government will consider all options to improve access to Vertex’s cystic fibrosis treatment, including compulsory licensing.

UK parliamentarians have again discussed how to get Vertex’s cystic Fibrosis drug Orkambi (ivacaftor/lumacaftor) to patients as talks between NHS England and the company stagger on with no conclusion. Seema Kennedy, the parliamentary under-secretary for health and social care, said the government would now start looking at all options on the table, including a compulsory license.

“The ideal thing is to get a deal, and deals have been done with other pharmaceutical companies,” Kennedy said. Echoing...