Can adagrasib's medical insurance policy cover its high cost?

Adagrasib (Adagrasib), as a highly selective and potent oral small molecule inhibitor of KRAS G12C, has shown great potential in the field of cancer treatment. KRAS G12C protein, this oncogenic driver, occurs frequently in various cancers, especially in non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and other fields. Because the KRAS G12C protein has rapid regeneration characteristics and can regenerate every 24-48 hours, the targeted inhibition ability demonstrated by adagrasib is particularly important for the treatment of this type of cancer.

As early asin 2022, adagrasib received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of strictly selected adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer with KRAS G12C mutations. The approval of this indication was mainly based on its significant efficacy in clinical trials, namely a high objective response rate (ORR) and a long duration of response (DOR).

Although adagrasib has achieved a significant breakthrough in efficacy, its accessibility on the market is still relatively difficult. As ofMarch 2024, the original drug of adagrasibu has not yet been approved by the National Medical Products Administration and is therefore not available on the domestic market. This also means that there is currently no domestic medical insurance policy that can cover the cost of adagrasib. For domestic patients in need, they can only purchase this drug from overseas channels at their own expense.

The price of Adagraxi cloth purchased overseas is not cheap. The US version of the original drug costs up to hundreds of thousands of yuan per box, which is undoubtedly a heavy burden for most patients. Recently, a generic version of adagrasib has appeared on the market, produced by Lucius Pharmaceuticals in Laos. The ingredients of this generic drug are similar to the original drug, but the price is relatively affordable, with each box costing just over 4,000 yuan. This change provides the possibility of treatment for more patients. Although there is still a certain economic pressure, the price of generic drugs is already a big improvement compared to the original drugs.