FDA Approved Drug for Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder more common in Caucasians and caused by a mutation in a gene referred to as the CFTR gene (Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane conductance Regulator gene). The condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means that both parents should have the defective gene for the condition to be passed on to the children. The cystic fibrosis drug ivacaftor has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with mutations that were not approved earlier, thus making the medication accessible to more patients with the disease.