Is pemetinib/pemetinib available in the country? How much does it cost?

Pemetinib/ Pemetinib has been marketed in China, but has not yet been included in the scope of medical insurance reimbursement. Patients need to purchase the drug by themselves. There is an imported version available in China, which is divided into two specifications: 4.5mg and 9mg. The price of the former is about 30,000 yuan, and the price of the latter is about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan. The foreign original research version is 13.5mg*14 tablets, with the latest price exceeding 70,000 yuan. In addition, the price of generic pemetinib, which is already on the market in Laos, is relatively low, about a few hundred yuan. Patients can purchase through legal overseas channels to avoid purchasing counterfeit and substandard drugs that may affect their health and safety.

Pemetinib is a drug that targets a specific kinase and was approved by the FDA in 2020 for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma. The drug is primarily indicated for previously treated adult patients with fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) gene fusion or other rearrangement detected in an FDA-approved trial, and whose cholangiocarcinoma has progressed to unresectable locally advanced stages or metastasized to other sites. Cholangiocarcinoma is the most common primary malignancy affecting the biliary tract and the second most common primary liver malignancy. This malignancy accounts for 15% to 20% of primary hepatobiliary malignancies and 13% of cancer-related mortality worldwide.

As research into the pathogenesis of cholangiocarcinoma and anticancer drug treatment targets continues to deepen, recent studies have shown that up to 45% of patients with intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma exhibit gene rearrangements, leading to the production of oncogenic fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGFR2) fusion proteins. Pemetinib received accelerated approval from the FDA for this indication based on overall response rate and duration of response in premarket clinical trials.