Is Necitumumab included in medical insurance?

Necitumumab can be used in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin for the first-line treatment of metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer and has been designated as an orphan drug by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of this cancer. Nexituzumabis a recombinant fully human IgG1 monoclonal antibody with high affinity and specificity for humanEGFR. The mechanism of inhibiting EGFR seems to be similar to cetuximab. Nexituzumab exposure was not altered when coadministered with gemcitabine and cisplatin.

Nexituzumab competitively blocks the interaction between EGFR and its ligand, thereby inhibiting ligand-induced phosphorylation and downstream signaling pathways, which plays an important role in cell proliferation, invasion, metastasis, angiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis. NexituzumabBinding InducesIn vitro Internalization and Degradation of EGFR: In vitro binding also leads to antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) in EGFR-expressing cells. In mice bearing xenografts of human cancers, including NSCLC, the combination of nexituzumab with gemcitabine and cisplatin resulted in increased antitumor activity compared with gemcitabine and cisplatin alone.

The generic drug of Nexituzumab has not yet been approved for marketing in China, and therefore it has not been included in medical insurance. The German version of the generic version of Nexituzumab available overseas800mg/50ml may cost more than RMB 10,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate), which is relatively expensive. Currently, there is no generic version of Nexituzumab on the market. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult Yaode Medical Consultant.