Is tucatinib expensive?

Tucatinib is indicated for the treatment of adults with trastuzumab and capecitabine diagnosed with advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, including patients with brain metastases and those who have received one or more anti-HER2-based regimens in the metastatic setting. Tucatinib is a kinase inhibitor that exerts anti-tumor activity by inhibiting tyrosine kinases and reduces the size of HER-2-positive breast cancer tumors.

Tucatinib is also indicated in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of adult patients with RAS wild-type HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer who have progressed following fluoropyrimidine-, oxaliplatin-, and irinotecan-based chemotherapy. This indication is approved under accelerated approval, which is dependent on verification and description of clinical benefit in confirmatory trials. In clinical trials, the tucatinib and trastuzumab regimen demonstrated enhanced activity both in vitro and in vivo compared with administration alone.

It is understood that the original drug Tucatinib has not yet been launched in China, so it has not entered the scope of domestic medical insurance. Patients in need cannot yet purchase this drug in pharmacies or hospitals. The price of the European version of tucatinib original drug specifications150mg*60 tablets sold overseas is around RMB 72,000 (the price may fluctuate due to exchange rates), which is expensive. There are also generic drugs of Tucatinib produced in other countries. The price of 150mg*60 tablets produced by Laos pharmaceutical factory is around RMB 6,400 (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The price is much cheaper than the original drug, and the ingredients of foreign generic drugs are basically the same as the original drug.