New drug for cholangiocarcinoma: pemigatinib

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant tumor of the primary biliary tract, an intrahepatic type located in the branches of the bile ducts in the liver. This tumor is considered rare, with more than 50% of patients diagnosed at an advanced stage of the disease. Pemigatinib is already marketed for the treatment of previously treated, unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic cholangiocarcinoma with experimentally detected fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) fusions or other rearrangements.

Pemetinib is currently on the market for use in the United States, China, the European Union and other regions, and is sold under the trade name Dabotan/Pemazyre. The US FDA's approval was based on a phase 2 study that evaluated the safety and anti-tumor activity of pemetinib in patients with previously treated locally advanced or metastatic intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. The overall response rate in the trial was 36%, with 2.8% of patients achieving a complete response and 34% of patients achieving a partial response. The median duration of response was 9.1 months.

The original drug pemetinib has been on the domestic market for a short time, so it has not yet entered the scope of medical insurance. Specifications The price of 9mg*14 tablets per box may be around 50,000 yuan, which is expensive. The original drug Pemetinib currently on the market overseas, with a specification of 13.5mg*14 tablets, may cost around RMB 70,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates). There are also generic pemetinib drugs produced in other countries overseas, and their drug ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drugs sold abroad. For example, the price of 4.5mg*14 tablets per box produced by a Laos pharmaceutical factory may be around 1,000 yuan (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates).