diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-curl-config.patch b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-curl-config.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..77d8f719d778
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-curl-config.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+diff -ruN cfitsio/configure cfitsio-curl-config/configure
+--- cfitsio/configure	2018-05-09 21:16:00.000000000 +0200
++++ cfitsio-curl-config/configure	2018-05-30 13:28:58.000000000 +0200
+@@ -4783,13 +4783,6 @@
+ CURL_LIB=""
+ CURL_INC=""
+ # Use curl-config to get compiler & linker flags, if available.
+-# On Macs, prefer XCode curl-config, and reject MacPorts version
+-# until further notice to prevent build errors:
+-if test "x$EXT" = xdarwin -a -x /usr/bin/curl-config; then
+-  CURLCONFIG="/usr/bin/curl-config"
+-  { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: checking for curl-config... choosing /usr/bin/curl-config on Mac" >&5
+-$as_echo "checking for curl-config... choosing /usr/bin/curl-config on Mac" >&6; }
+-else
+   # Extract the first word of "curl-config", so it can be a program name with args.
+ set dummy curl-config; ac_word=$2
+ { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for $ac_word" >&5
+@@ -4833,7 +4826,6 @@
+   fi
+ fi
+ fi
+-fi
+ CURLCONFIG=$ac_cv_prog_CURLCONFIG
+ if test -n "$CURLCONFIG"; then
+   { $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $CURLCONFIG" >&5
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-rpath-universal.patch b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-rpath-universal.patch
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..af38abf329ea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/darwin-rpath-universal.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+diff -ruN cfitsio/configure cfitsio-rpath-universal/configure
+--- cfitsio/configure	2018-05-09 21:16:00.000000000 +0200
++++ cfitsio-rpath-universal/configure	2018-05-31 12:02:25.000000000 +0200
+@@ -4727,16 +4727,7 @@
+     SHLIB_SUFFIX=".dylib"
+     CFITSIO_SHLIB="lib\${PACKAGE}.\${CFITSIO_SONAME}.\${CFITSIO_MAJOR}.\${CFITSIO_MINOR}\${SHLIB_SUFFIX}"
+     CFITSIO_SHLIB_SONAME="lib\${PACKAGE}.\${CFITSIO_SONAME}\${SHLIB_SUFFIX}"
+-    case $host in
+-        *darwin[56789]*)
+-            SHLIB_LD="$CC -dynamiclib -install_name lib\${PACKAGE}.\${CFITSIO_SONAME}\${SHLIB_SUFFIX} -compatibility_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME} -current_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME}.\${CFITSIO_MAJOR}.\${CFITSIO_MINOR}"
+-            ;;
+-        *)
+-            # Build 'Universal' binaries (i386 & x86_64 architectures) and
+-            # use rpath token on Darwin 10.x or newer:
+-            SHLIB_LD="$CC -dynamiclib $C_UNIV_SWITCH -headerpad_max_install_names -install_name @rpath/lib\${PACKAGE}.\${CFITSIO_SONAME}\${SHLIB_SUFFIX} -compatibility_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME} -current_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME}.\${CFITSIO_MAJOR}.\${CFITSIO_MINOR}"
+-            ;;
+-    esac
++    SHLIB_LD="$CC -dynamiclib -install_name ${out}/lib/lib\${PACKAGE}.\${CFITSIO_SONAME}\${SHLIB_SUFFIX} -compatibility_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME} -current_version \${CFITSIO_SONAME}.\${CFITSIO_MAJOR}.\${CFITSIO_MINOR}"
+ 
+     lhea_shlib_cflags="-fPIC -fno-common"
+     ;;
diff --git a/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/default.nix b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/default.nix
index ecf5fb1f02fd..a21158723be1 100644
--- a/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/default.nix
+++ b/pkgs/development/libraries/cfitsio/default.nix
@@ -8,9 +8,11 @@
     sha256 = "07fghxh5fl8nqk3q0dh8rvc83npnm0hisxzcj16a6r7gj5pmp40l";
   };
 
+  patches = [ ./darwin-curl-config.patch ./darwin-rpath-universal.patch ];
+
   # Shared-only build
   buildFlags = "shared";
-  patchPhase = '' sed -e '/^install:/s/libcfitsio.a //' -e 's@/bin/@@g' -i Makefile.in
+  postPatch = '' sed -e '/^install:/s/libcfitsio.a //' -e 's@/bin/@@g' -i Makefile.in
    '';
 
   meta = with stdenv.lib; {
@@ -27,6 +29,6 @@
       '';
     # Permissive BSD-style license.
     license = "permissive";
-    platforms = platforms.linux;
+    platforms = with platforms; linux ++ darwin;
   };
 }