The CF Buyer’s Club was founded in 2019 by a volunteer group of UK parents whose children needed access to CFTR medicines when they discovered that more affordable versions of Vertex’s CF modulators were being produced and sold in Argentina. 

The group led a campaign for the UK government to issue a Crown Use licence, which would have allowed the NHS to purchase these generic modulators. With support from Just Treatment, the campaign forced the issue onto the national agenda.  In the end, the licence was not needed - the threat alone was enough to help secure access in the UK. The fight highlighted how powerful compulsory licensing can be, and why it remains a vital tool for countries where patients are still denied their right to breathe.

After gaining access for their children, some of the same parents went on to form global CF campaign group Vertex Save Us, and later joined forces with Just Treatment again to launch the ‘Right to Breathe’ campaign. This initiative seeks to ensure that every CF patient, in every country, can access CF modulators. Representatives of Right to Breathe have since taken the lead in discussions with generic manufacturers.  

You can contact us on: info@cfbuyersclub.org