Therapeutic effects of trifluridine and tipiracil tablets (Lonsurf)

Trifluridine and tipiracil (Lonsurf) prolonged overall survival (how long a patient lives after starting treatment) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (HCC) and metastatic gastric cancer, all of whom had previously received other treatments in the clinical study.

In a major study involving 800 patients, patients who received trifluridine and tipiracil lived an average of 7.1 months, compared with 5.3 months for those who received a placebo (a dummy treatment). In another major study involving 492 patients, patients who received trifluridine and bevacizumab lived an average of 10.8 months, while those who received only trifluridine lived an average of 7.5 months. In a study involving 507 adults with metastatic gastric cancer, patients who received trifluridine and tipiracil lived an average of 5.7 months, compared with 3.6 months for those who received a placebo.

The original drug of trifluridinetipiracil tablets has been marketed in China under the trade name Langsif, but it has not yet entered the scope of medical insurance. The price per box may be around RMB 6,000, and the price per box of the Hong Kong version may be more than RMB 10,000 (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates). The Japanese version of trifluridine tipiracil tablets sold overseas may cost around more than 5,000 yuan per box (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates). There are also cheaper generic versions of trifluridine and tipiracil tablets available overseas. Their pharmaceutical ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drugs sold domestically and abroad. For example, the price of each box produced by an Indian pharmaceutical factory may be around more than 1,000 yuan (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates).