Should Erdafitinib be taken long-term?

Erdafitinib (Erdafitinib) is a targeted therapy, and its use time is usually individualized, depending on the patient's specific condition, disease development and treatment effect. Erdafitinib has been primarily studied and approved for the treatment of advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC).

Typically, treatment for advanced or metastatic cancer is a long-term process, and patients may need ongoing medication to maintain control of the cancer. The doctor will develop an individualized treatment plan based on the patient's condition and treatment response. If erdafitinib produces a good response for a patient, the doctor may recommend that the patient continue using the drug.

However, it should be emphasized that the duration of drug treatment is not fixed but can be adjusted according to the patient's specific situation. Doctors may regularly evaluate a patient's condition and monitor the status of the cancer through imaging studies, laboratory tests, and other means. If treatment continues to have a benefit on the tumor and the patient tolerates the drug well, the drug may be maintained.

In addition, sometimes doctors may perform treatment breaks during treatment, where the drug is suspended for a period of time to reduce the patient's discomfort or to resensitize the tumor's response to the drug. This strategy usually requires careful monitoring and physician guidance.

Erdafitinib is not currently available in the country, so patients cannot purchase it domestically and need to purchase erdafitinib through foreign channels. The original drug of erdafitinib is mainly the Hong Kong version of the original drug, with a price of more than 20,000, and needs to be purchased through a Hong Kong pharmacy. The generic drugs are relatively cheaper, mainly the Laos version and the Bangladesh Yaopin International version, with a price of about 1,000 to 2,000, and the ingredients of the original drug and the generic drug are basically the same.