Disease landscape
Cystic Fibrosis
Limitations in access to treatment and diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in the V4 region do not differ significantly between countries — the gap between higher-scoring countries (the Czech Republic and Poland) and lower-scoring ones (Slovakia and Hungary) is approximately 9 points. Although the overall score for all countries in the region is relatively high, it is noticeably reduced by formal restrictions on the reimbursement of innovative drugs and the relatively long time from registration to their reimbursement.
Cross-Country
General GAP for Cystic Fibrosis
Compliance with guidelines
Clinical practice guidelines recommend the use of 5 the cystic fibrosis drugs considered in the project. In each of the assessed countries, 3 or 4 drugs are available — therefore, compliance with the guidelines is estimated at 60–80%.
From registration to reimbursement
Population burden
DALY* - Rate per 100k
Estimated values.
There is no data for the EU and Western Europe average.
*disability adjusted life-years
Target population
kaftrio
Drug access
Number of patients treated (2024)
*registered in 2025
Drug access
Population treated (%)
Main issues
- The average time to regular reimbursement for cystic fibrosis drugs in the V4 countries is 5.2 years. The difference between the shortest and the longest mean time to reimbursement between the countries is 1.9 year.
- Financing of the first triple combination CF therapy either in regular reimbursement and early access programmes was introduced in V4 states in 2021 and in 2022 in all countries with very different results: only around 30% of patients in the target population in Hungary get the treatment, compared to 64–69% in Slovakia and Poland and 94% of patients in Czechia. The second triple combination therapy for use in the population of patients with CF was approved in 2025 and was not available in any of the V4 countries by the end of 2025.
Project
We measured the gap in innovative drug access and diagnostics in selected therapeutic areas in the Visegrád (V4) countries (Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia).