Cystic fibrosis patients got their 'miracle drug' thanks to federal research funding - new Trump administration rules may cut future miracles short

A historical account argues that the dramatic gains in cystic fibrosis care since 2012 were driven by decades of research and public investment, while noting that new federal rules under the Trump administration could threaten future advances. The article recalls training in the late 1970s, when treatment relied on physical therapy, airway-dilating drugs, and high-dose antibiotics, with a median age of death of 15 in 1979. It credits the biotech breakthrough: Vertex’s Kalydeco (ivacaftor) in 2012, followed by Orkambi (2015), Symdeko (2018), Trikafta (2019), and Alyftrek (2024). For children born today in the U.S., median survival is now 66 years.