How much does a box of bedaquiline fumarate tablets cost?

Bedaquiline is a new anti-tuberculosis drug that belongs to the diarylquinoline compounds. It contains a quinoline central heterocyclic core with alcohol and amine side chains that play important roles in antitubercular activity. Studies have shown that bedaquiline is an inhibitor of mycobacterial ATP synthase; it binds to and interferes with the a-c subunit interface of Fo, leading to ineffective proton recycling, which is fatal to mycobacteria.

A multicenter study conducted at 25 centers in 15 countries on five continents found that at the end of treatment, the sputum smear and culture negative rates of MDR-TB cases were 88.7% and 91.2%, respectively, and 71.3% were successfully treated. In other words, bedaquiline-containing regimens achieved high conversion and success rates when used to treat patients with MDR-TB. Another French retrospective cohort study showed that 97% of culture-positive TB patients achieved culture conversion after 6 months of bedaquiline treatment.

Patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis may benefit from the use ofbedaquiline; this treatment leads to better sputum conversion rates and lower risk of death, and bedaquiline has been considered as one of the priority drugs for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The use of bedaquiline may usher in a new era of treatment for patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, helping to curb the spread of the disease and reduce its mortality.

In the domestic market, the drug is sold under the name bedaquiline fumarate tablets and has been included in the medical insurance system. Its common specification of 100 mg and 24 tablets per box is about 10,000 yuan, which is relatively expensive. In overseas markets, especially Russia, the specifications of bedaquiline sold are 100 mg and 188 tablets per box, and the price may reach 15,000 yuan (affected by exchange rate fluctuations). The ingredients of bedaquiline sold at home and abroad are basically the same, and there are currently no generic drugs on the market overseas.