Brigatinib/Brigatinib: Overview of Drug Efficacy and Pricing

Brigatinib is a highly potent and selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) specifically designed to target molecular variants of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK). This drug has been approved for treatment in more than 40 countries around the world, especially for patients with ALK+ metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who have already received crizotinib but have worsened or cannot tolerate its side effects.

The reason why brigatinib has gained such wide recognition is mainly due to the positive results of the phase 3 ALTA-1L trial. This study compared brigatinib with crizotinib in adult patients with ALK+ locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who had not received ALK inhibitor therapy. The results showed that brigatinib was significantly better than crizotinib in anti-tumor activity, especially in patients with brain metastases at baseline, and only required one pill per day, reducing the patient's medication burden.

Since brigatinib was launched in China, it has also been included in the Category B medical insurance drug list, providing patients with more treatment options. Currently, pharmaceutical packaging of various specifications can be found on the market, such as 30mg 14 tablets in 2 plates, 90mg 7 tablets or 7 tablets in 4 plates, and 180mg 7 tablets in 4 plates, etc. However, the drug is expensive, with each box likely to cost close to 10,000 yuan.

Fortunately, overseas markets also provide cost-effective generic drugs of brigatinib. These generic drugs are highly similar to the original drugs in terms of active ingredients. For example, a generic drug of 90 mg and 30 tablets produced by a pharmaceutical factory in Bangladesh costs approximately RMB 2,000 per box (the specific price may be adjusted based on exchange rate fluctuations), providing patients with a more economical treatment option.