Is Apelvis covered by medical insurance?

Alpelisib, English nameAlpelisib, is an innovative treatment drug for a specific malignant tumor. The drug came out after being approved by the FDA in the United States in 2019. It is mainly used to treat a specific type of breast cancer - advanced or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) that is hormone receptor (HR) positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) negative, and carries PIK3CA gene mutations. When used in combination with fulvestrant, the drug can extend patients' progression-free survival and demonstrate anti-tumor efficacy.

Apelix is the first PI3Ki drug approved to treat patients with HR+/HER2-negative MBC who have PIK3CA mutations and have received endocrine therapy. Preclinical and clinical studies have revealed that inhibiting the PI3K/mTOR pathway can be an effective strategy for the treatment of HR+/HER2-negative MBC. The launch of this drug provides more non-chemotherapy treatment options for patients with HR+/HER2-negative MBC.

At present, according to reliable information, the original drug of Apelvis has not yet been launched in the domestic market, and therefore has not been included in China's medical insurance drug catalog. This means that although the drug has been widely used internationally, domestic patients who want to use the drug may not be reimbursed through medical insurance and need to purchase it at their own expense through overseas channels.

Since Apelvis has not yet been included in the medical insurance system, its specific price after medical insurance coverage cannot be determined at present. In overseas markets, the original drug of Apelix exists in European and Indian versions. The price of each box of the European version (containing 150 mg 56 tablets) may be more than 40,000 yuan, while the price of each box of the Indian version (150 mg 28 tablets) may be about more than 5,000 yuan (the price may fluctuate with exchange rate changes). In addition, generic drugs have been launched in overseas markets. For example, the version produced by a Lao pharmaceutical factory may be sold for about more than 2,000 yuan per box (150mg*28 tablets) (the price may vary due to exchange rate changes).