How much does Crizotinib cost per month?

Crizotinib (Crizotinib) is a type of cancer drug called a kinase inhibitor that is used to treat three rare forms of the tumor. Crizotinib is used to treat a type of non-small cell lung cancer in people with a genetic error called ROS1 or ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase). ROS1 errors occur in about 1% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer, while ALK errors occur in about 5% of cases.

Defects in ROS1 and ALK lead to uncontrolled cell growth, leading to cancer. Crizotinib helps stop or slow the growth of cancer. It does this by blocking the effects of ROS1 and ALK and is known as a ROS1 tyrosine kinase inhibitor and ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Treatment with crizotinib should be initiated and supervised by a physician experienced in the use of cancer drugs. Before starting treatment, the presence of genetic changes affecting ALK ("ALK positive" status) or ROS 1 ("ROS 1 positive" status) must be confirmed.

The original drug Crizotinib has been launched in China and is included in the scope of medical insurance, but it is only reimbursed for patients who meet the indications. The price of each box may be around RMB 15,000. Depending on the dosage, the patient may need 20,000 RMB a month. The Turkish original version of Crizotinib sold overseas may cost more than more than RMB 10,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates), which is expensive. There are also cheaper generic crizotinib drugs available overseas. The ingredients are basically similar to those of the original drugs sold domestically and abroad. For example, the price of 250mg*60 tablets produced by a Bangladesh pharmaceutical factory may be more than 2,000 yuan per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates).