Is tucatinib on the market?

Tucatinib is a kinase inhibitor anticancer drug that can be used together with trastuzumab and capecitabine to treat unresectable or metastatic HER-2-positive breast cancer. It was developed by Seattle Genetics. In April 2020, it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing. It was launched in Australia in August of the same year. In February 2021, the European Union approved it for medical use.

Tucatinib can also be combined with trastuzumabAdult patients with RAS wild-type HER2-positive unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer. This drug is currently only available through physician prescribing information, and treatment should be initiated and supervised by a physician experienced in cancer treatment. Tucatinib is a promising new treatment for patients with metastatic breast cancer who have failed to respond to other chemotherapy regimens.

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 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 Tucatinib produced by a Lao pharmaceutical factory is around 6,400 yuan (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.