“If it was calculated in any other way, we probably wouldn’t have said yes to these pleas,” Abela said.

The Prime Minister’s announcement comes after an emotional public campaign by 26-year-old patient Mandy Vella, who has been lobbying for the breakthrough medicine since it was approved in August 2020.

Cystic fibrosis is a progressive condition that affects the cells that produce mucus, causing it to build up in the lungs and pancreas.

Treatment using Trikafta, also known as Kaftrio, comes at a cost of over €10,000 per patient per month. It is however the only know treatment for the rare illness.

“When you have a young person like Mandy Vella, who came to me in November to discuss her story on behalf of other cystic fibrosis patients, I really wish I could have said yes there and then, but I had to consult the health authorities and Finance Minister before,” Abela explained.

“I’m a father like Mandy’s father. When I spoke to her in our video call, how could I be indifferent to her? How could we close our eyes to her suffering? This is why we took the decision we did, to make a difference in her quality of life. This is what defines us as a government,” Abela said.

Richard Hunter, a 37-year-old cystic fibrosis sufferer, has spoken with Lovin Malta about how his life has changed since taking the drug last September.

“I look at my life as pre-Kaftrio and post-Kaftrio,” he told Lovin Malta.

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