How long does it take for Crizotinib to work?

A chart of progression-free survival from the Crizotinib trial estimates that crizotinib starts to work in about 2 months, but most trials report how long crizotinib stops a person's cancer from getting worse, not how quickly it works. This is called progression-free survival.

In a study of 343 patients with ALK+ non-small cell lung cancer, the 172 patients who received crizotinib had an average progression-free survival of 10.9 months, compared with 7 months for the 171 patients who received chemotherapy. 74% of patients saw their tumors respond to crizotinib. Three patients in the crizotinib group had all signs of their cancer disappear (called a complete response, but this does not mean the cancer is cured) compared with 2 patients in the chemotherapy group. Of the 172 patients in the crizotinib group, 125 had partial responses, meaning the cancer spread less or the tumors shrank.

When crizotinib was used to treat patients with ROS1+ non-small cell lung cancer that had spread to other parts of the body: 66% of people taking crizotinib saw their tumors respond or shrink, one patient had all symptoms of the cancer disappear, and 32 of 50 patients had a reduction in the spread of their cancer, or a tumor shrinkage of more than 30% (called a partial response). The median length of time these partial and complete responses lasted before the tumors resumed growth or spread was 18.3 months.

The original drug Crizotinib has been launched in China and is covered by medical insurance, but it is only reimbursed for patients who meet the indications. The price per box may be around RMB 15,000. The price of the original Turkish version of Crizotinib sold overseas may be 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).