Will Panitumumab be reimbursed by medical insurance?

Panitumumab is used to treat patients with wild-type RAS metastatic colorectal cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the colon and rectum). RAS status is determined by a test approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . Wild-typeRAS is a cancer with no mutations in the KRAS and NRAS genes. Metastatic colorectal cancer is when cancer cells have broken off and spread to other parts of the body.

Panitumumab may be used as first treatment with a type of chemotherapy called FOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, oxaliplatin), or on its own after disease progression with the following chemotherapy: chemotherapy containing fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan. Panitumumab should not be used to treat patients with tumors that have mutations in the RAS gene (called RAS mutations), or patients whose RAS mutation status is unknown. Several clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate treatments that block part of the pathway that increases tumor cell growth (anti-epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR]). Anti-EGFR treatments include panitumumab and cetuximab. In studies of these drugs, patients with tumors with RAS mutations experienced severe side effects and did not benefit from the treatments.

It is understood that the original version of panitumumab has not yet been launched in China, and therefore it is not covered by medical insurance. The price of the Hong Kong original version of panitumumab sold in Hong Kong, ChinaThe price of 100mg/5mL may be around 9,000 yuan (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). Patients can only purchase it at their own expense and cannot use medical insurance for reimbursement. There are currently no generic drugs of Panitumumab on the market. If a patient has a need to purchase Panitumumab, please consult a medical consultant for specific prices and more drug information.