(NYT) – That drug, Trikafta, produced by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has made it possible for people with cystic fibrosis to breathe easily and live longer. Vertex sells a year’s supply of it for about $346,000 in the United States.

The company has a monopoly on transformative cystic fibrosis drugs; Trikafta has brought it $49 billion in revenue since launching in 2019. However, Vertex has not registered the drug for sale in many lower-income countries, and has blocked measures to produce lower-cost generic versions, a tactic not uncommon among drug companies seeking to protect their ability to charge higher prices in wealthy markets.

Now a Bangladeshi company has reverse engineered Trikafta and is using a loophole in global patent law to sell its version, called Triko, for a fraction of Vertex’s price. (Read More)