¡Trikafta Para Todos!
- Allaa Aldaraji
- Sep 11
- 3 min read
Latin America Demands Access to Life-Saving CF Modulators
Across Latin America, people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and their families are refusing to wait quietly while their lives hang in the balance. They are marching in the streets, filing lawsuits and demanding that governments and Vertex Pharmaceuticals stop delaying and deliver Trikafta - the medicine that could transform their futures.
Mexico: Approval Without Access
On 26 September 2024, Mexico’s drug regulator COFEPRIS approved Trikafta - the first orphan drug for cystic fibrosis in the country. For more than 1,000 diagnosed patients (and many more undiagnosed), it looked like the breakthrough they had been waiting for.
But one year later, approval has not translated into access. No agreement on price has been reached with Vertex, a company notorious for holding out for sky-high prices, even if it means patients are left to suffer or die.
On International Cystic Fibrosis Day this September, families filled the streets of Guadalajara and Mexico City with purple balloons and banners demanding: “¡Trikafta para México!”
Among them was David Márquez, a CF patient from Mexico City:
“For me, access to Trikafta would be the opportunity to recover my health, my dreams, and my hopes for a new life without limits. It would mean overcoming my own limits as a warrior in the toughest battle - defeating the disease and finding a cure. Having Trikafta would mean freedom, independence, and regaining the power and direction of my life.”
Mexico’s CF community is united: recognition is not enough - patients deserve treatment now.
Uruguay: Forcing the Breakthrough
In Uruguay, patients had to sue their government just to access Trikafta, with courts forcing payments at Vertex’s exorbitant list price for only a handful of people.
But in July 2024, the government took a bold step: it issued a call to generic manufacturers, signaling its willingness to grant a compulsory licence - a legal tool to bypass patents and allow production of affordable generics.
Three manufacturers responded. Faced with this credible threat, Vertex returned to the negotiating table. On 23 December 2024, Uruguay announced a commercial agreement: eligible patients would finally receive Trikafta.
This was a landmark victory - proof that governments who put public health before pharmaceutical monopolies can win.
Chile: From Court Battles to Collective Victory
Chile faced the same pattern: individual lawsuits as the only path to Trikafta. But in April 2025, the Right to Breathe campaign mobilized more than 50 families, urging the government to act - up to and including compulsory licensing.
Just weeks later, in June 2025, the Ministry of Health confirmed that Trikafta would be provided to all eligible patients aged six and above. For families who had spent years fighting, this was a monumental victory - a testament to collective action and relentless advocacy.
Peru: The Next Frontline
In Peru, Trikafta is only available to 12 people at a staggering price of US$235,000 per patient per year. Whilst more than 100 others remain excluded.
On 2 September 2025, patient groups and civil society formally petitioned the government to declare Trikafta a medicine of public interest - a crucial step toward issuing a compulsory licence. With generics, Peru could cut costs by over 80% and ensure universal access.
The demand is not only legal - it is moral. Peru’s constitution, health laws, and international commitments like the Doha Declaration affirm: the right to health must come before corporate monopolies.
A Regional Wave of Resistance
From Mexico to Uruguay, Chile to Peru, families are rising up. Patients are refusing to accept delay while their lungs and health fail. Governments are being forced to act. Vertex’s monopoly is facing pressure like never before.
This is no longer isolated battles - it is a regional movement.
Access to Trikafta is a right. Latin America will not wait.
Right to Breathe will continue to stand with every patient, every family, and every community across Latin America—and beyond—fighting for the medicines they need to live.
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