STAT+: Advocates urge South Africa to reopen antitrust probe into Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Patient advocacy groups are urging the South African government to reopen an antitrust investigation into Vertex Pharmaceuticals over allegations the company misled authorities into closing a high-profile case last year over access to a cystic fibrosis treatment.

Last December, the Competition Commission ruled that the company had sufficiently provided access to its medication after a patient filed a complaint alleging that Vertex violated the South African Constitution. The petition cited human rights failures — such as a basic right to health — as one justification for the complaint, as well as claims that the company abused its patent status.

Notably, the petition maintained that Vertex, which is the leading purveyor of cystic fibrosis drugs, including a highly effective treatment called Trikafta, had failed to register the medication with regulators. And since Vertex held patent rights in the country, the only available route to obtain Trikafta was to import the medicine from the U.S. at a prohibitive cost, given a list price exceeding $300,000.

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