What the trial was testing
The VX17-445-102 enrolled 405 patients with cystic fibrosis. The study was sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
The triple-drug combo cut serious lung flare-ups by 63% compared to placebo.
The New England journal of medicine · 2019 · NCT03525444
These findings — that patients had 63% fewer serious breathing crises over 24 weeks — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 405 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with cystic fibrosis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
If you have CF with one F508del mutation and one rare mutation, this treatment is now FDA-approved and available. It's a combination of three pills that target the underlying protein defect. Talk to your CF care team about whether your specific gene type qualifies — genetic testing can confirm if you're a candidate.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open cystic fibrosis trials
Identifying the Causes and Risk Factors of Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis
The CF-Tracker study is a community surveillance study, designed to understand the causes of exacerbations in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) (pwCF). These are episodes when pwCF become more unwell, typically characterised by increased cough, sputum, and breathlessness, and requiring prolonged courses of oral or intravenous antibiotics. This observational study applies a two-tiered approach over 12 months. It will recruit 200 pwCF to Group A, and an additional 100 pwCF to Group B, which follows the same format but includes additional in-clinic sampling. Participants will provide longitudinal clinical data and biological samples. Group B will be offered at 5 specialist CF centres (Manchester, Cardiff, Newcastle, Leeds, Liverpool), will include additional sampling methods at clinic visits, and additional scheduled clinic visits at 1 month and 6 months. Group B participants will be offered an in-person visit if they become unwell, so that samples can be collected before they start antibiotics. In Group B, those attending the Manchester clinic will have the option of taking part in a 12 month home environmental and pollution monitoring, and sleep monitoring (both optional arms). A pilot study will test the practicalities of running the same protocol in a paediatric population. This will consist of up to 25 children with CF (5-15 years) attending a paediatric clinic in one of the four core centres. Up to 40 healthy volunteers will be recruited to provide samples on a single occasion as controls. This study is funded by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. This study is part of a wider programme of research, led by the PULSE-CF Innovation Hub (and hosted by the University of Manchester, www.pulse-cf.com). The aim of the Hub is that the data from CF-Tracker will support the delivery of a platform clinical trial to test exacerbation-prevention interventions in CF.
Study to Enable New Diagnostics for Pulmonary Microbes in People With CF
Sputum culture has been the best approach to detect harmful bacteria in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). With the widespread use of new CF therapies (like Trikafta and Alyftrak), it is more difficult for people with CF to produce sputum even though they still have harmful bacteria in their lungs. The SEND-CF study is being done to see if there are other ways to detect harmful bacteria in the lungs.