Yasmina Kattou, edited by Yanis Darras 06:08, December 22, 2022

Good news for more than 700 children with cystic fibrosis in France.

From this weekend, Kaftrio, a revolutionary drug that considerably improves the quality of life of patients, will be available for the youngest patients. 

Despite technological progress, cystic fibrosis still remains a topical disease.

In France, nearly 7,300 people suffer from this rare pathology in France, which causes abnormally thick mucus to secrete, obstructing the respiratory tract as well as the digestive system.

However, a treatment could considerably improve the quality of life of patients, especially the youngest.

Nearly a thousand families were impatiently awaiting this treatment for their children with cystic fibrosis: Kaftrio. 

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This drug, until then experimental, had been used for more than a year in adults and adolescents over the age of 12 since June 2021 only.

But the decree allowing this treatment to be delivered to children under 12 was published on Tuesday and it will be available from this weekend in pharmacies.

700 children will be able to benefit from the drug from Saturday 24 December.

A victory for the associations since this treatment is revolutionary.

Total improvement in quality of life

The quality of life of patients with cystic fibrosis is transformed thanks to Kaftrio.

With two tablets each day, instead of ten usually accompanied by physiotherapy sessions lasting several hours a day, this incurable, debilitating respiratory disease becomes like a chronic pathology with which patients can live.

Among adults who have already benefited from it, Pierre Foucaud, vice-president of 'overcoming cystic fibrosis', describes spectacular results.

"The first patients were patients who were going to have their two lungs transplanted because they were in a situation of therapeutic impasse. And the number of lung transplants fell for cystic fibrosis, from 20 to 2 per quarter" thanks to the drug, he explains at the microphone of Europe 1.

 Long-term beneficial effects

Now, the challenge is to prevent the appearance of new lesions in children, "since they are less affected, we expect this revolutionary drug to have spectacular long-term beneficial effects".

"Specifically, the hope of seeing their life expectancy radically transformed", the vice-president of 'Beating Cystic Fibrosis'.

Hope for more than 5,000 patients who will be able to benefit from treatment from 2023.