‘Real hope’ for cystic fibrosis patients as NHS rolls out life-changing drug

Ben and Alix Oxlade with their son Rufus, who suffers from cystic fibrosis and has recently received the new drug Kaftrio. Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer

Alix Oxlade was 30 weeks into her pregnancy when scans showed fluid building up in the stomach and bowels of her unborn son, Rufus. The cause was unclear, though there was an early suspect: cystic fibrosis.

One of the most common inherited illnesses in the west, cystic fibrosis is caused by a defective protein that allows mucus to build up in the lungs, bowels and other organs and can lead to chronic infections that worsen through life. Tests subsequently showed Alix and her partner, Ben, who live in East Yorkshire, were both carriers of the disease.