How much does a box of neratinib/neratinib cost in 2024?

Neratinib/Neratinib is a member of the 4-anilinoquinolines and has anti-tumor effects. It is formulated as film-coated tablets and tablets for the oral route of administration. Neratinib is indicated for the long-term adjuvant treatment of adult patients with early-stage HER2-overexpressing/amplified breast cancer, to adjuvant trastuzumab-based therapy, and in combination with capecitabine for adult patients with advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer who have received two or more anti-HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting.

Neratinib is administered by oral and intravenous routes. In the pivotal ExteNET trial in patients with early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer who completed adjuvant trastuzumab, treatment with neratinib for 12 months reduced the risk of invasive disease recurrence or death compared with placebo at 2 and 5 years after randomization. As with other tyrosine kinase inhibitors, diarrhea can be controlled with antidiarrhoeal prophylaxis and/or dose adjustment and is the most common any-grade or grade ≥3 treatment-emergent adverse event with neratinib.

The original drug neratinib has been launched and included in the Class B medical insurance system, but the scope of reimbursement is limited to patients who meet the indications. Its price per box of 40mg*180 tablets is about RMB 7,000. However, in overseas markets, the same original drug costs more than 10,000 US dollars, which is quite expensive. However, there are also generic drugs of neratinib available overseas. The ingredients of the drug are similar to the original drug. For example, the 40mg*180 tablet drug produced by Bangladesh Yaopin International Pharmaceutical Factory costs about more than 2,000 yuan (the price may change due to exchange rate fluctuations), which is relatively economical and affordable.