Do I need to take Obeticholic acid for life?

Obeticholic acid (Obeticholic acid) is a prescription drug used to treat primary cholangitis (PBC) and ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults who are refractory to UDCA, or used alone to treat adults who cannot tolerate UDCA. It is not known whether taking obeticholic acid will improve your chances of survival or improve your PBC symptoms, and it is not known whether obeticholic acid is safe and effective in children.

Obeticholic acid is available as an oral tablet (5 and 10 mg), with the recommended starting dose being 5 mg once daily or 5 mg once weekly, depending on the patient's degree of liver impairment (which should be determined before initiating treatment with obeticholic acid). After a few months, if obeticholic acid is well tolerated, the dose can be increased. For patients who experience intolerable itching, the dose may be reduced or treatment may be discontinued (this may be a side effect of obeticholic acid). Do not stop taking obeticholic acid without talking to your doctor.

The original drug of obeticholic acid has not yet been marketed in the country, so it has not been included in medical insurance. The original obeticholic acid drug marketed overseas is expensive, with each box costing around tens of thousands of yuan. The price is also affected by exchange rates and is unstable. It is understood that obeticholic acid has been produced as a generic drug and its ingredients are basically the same as those of the original drug. For example, the price of 5mg*30 tablets produced by a Bangladesh pharmaceutical factory is around RMB 1,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate), and the price is cheap. For more drug information and specific prices, please consult a medical consultant.