New Zealand Opens All-Ages Access to Breakthrough CF Therapies

Associate Health Minister David Seymour has welcomed Pharmac’s public consultation on a proposal to fund Trikafta and the next-generation therapy Alyftrek for children with cystic fibrosis of any age.

New Zealand is moving to remove age barriers on some of the world’s most advanced cystic fibrosis (CF) treatments, signalling a major step forward for precision medicine and early-intervention healthcare.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour has welcomed Pharmac’s public consultation on a proposal to fund Trikafta and the next-generation therapy Alyftrek for children with cystic fibrosis of any age. If approved following consultation, the changes would take effect from 1 April 2026.

The proposal represents a shift from age-based eligibility to clinician-led decision-making—an approach increasingly seen across cutting-edge health systems that prioritise data, outcomes, and personalised care.

Under the proposal, Pharmac would:

• Extend funding for Trikafta to all children with an eligible CF diagnosis, removing the current minimum age of six

• Continue funding Kalydeco for all eligible patients

• Introduce funding for Alyftrek, a newly developed CF treatment

“Pharmac is now consulting the public on this proposal. It includes funding Trikafta and Alyftrek for children of all ages with cystic fibrosis,” Mr Seymour says. “The proposal has already received strong support from the cystic fibrosis community, and we’re expecting positive feedback.”

From a technology and innovation perspective, the move underscores how advanced therapies—often developed through decades of molecular research and biotech innovation—deliver the greatest impact when deployed early.

“Trikafta and Alyftrek would be funded for all age groups,” Mr Seymour says. “Doctors would be able to use their clinical judgement to prescribe either medicine to patients who would benefit. These treatments are life-changing, and early access is critical.”

Cystic fibrosis causes progressive organ damage from infancy. Until now, families of children under six faced impossible choices: wait for eligibility, self-fund treatment at costs reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars per year, or relocate overseas to access care.

By opening access regardless of age, Pharmac’s proposal positions New Zealand as an early adopter of outcomes-driven funding for breakthrough medicines—aligning public health policy with the realities of modern biotech innovation.

“This is what’s possible when the system works alongside patients,” Mr Seymour says. “Earlier access keeps people healthier for longer and reduces long-term pressure on the wider health system.”

Call to action: shape the future of early-access medicine

Pharmac is now seeking feedback from people living with cystic fibrosis, families, clinicians, researchers, health-tech innovators, advocacy groups, and anyone interested in the future of advanced medicines.

Public consultation closes at 5pm, Wednesday 11 February 2026.Submissions can be made here:https://www.pharmac.govt.nz/news-and-resources/consultations-and-decisions/2026-01-proposal-to-widen-access-to-trikafta-and-kalydeco-and-fund-alyftrek-for-the-treatment-of-cystic-fibrosis

For innovators, clinicians, and early adopters, this is a rare opportunity to influence how breakthrough therapies are deployed at scale—and how early intervention can redefine lifelong health outcomes.