Analysis of whether telisotuzumab-EMRELIS has been included in medical insurance and reimbursement policies and conditions

Telisotuzumab Vedotin‑tllv (trade name EMRELIS) is not yet officially launched in China, so it is not included in the domestic medical insurance catalog, and there is no unified national reimbursement policy or specific reimbursement conditions. Domestic patients are temporarily unable to obtain this drug through medical insurance reimbursement through regular hospital pharmacies. They can only enjoy relevant reimbursement benefits after it has been approved, marketed and entered the medical insurance system in China.

According to overseas markets and reports, the drug was approved in the United States in 2025 in May U.S. Food & Drug Administration(FDA) accelerated approval, applicable to "tumor cells that have received systemic treatment and have high expression of c‑MET Adult patients with "locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)" with protein (≥50%tumor cells with strong 3+ staining). According to market information, the overseas listing price is about 4.5 RMB 10,000 per box - although the specific specifications are not yet known, the price is significantly high. Since there is no generic version of the drug, domestic patients usually bear the cost out of pocket if they obtain it through special channels.

If the drug is approved in China and entered into medical insurance in the future, certain reimbursement conditions may be set: for example, patients must be confirmed by gene/protein testing to be patients with high expression of c-MET (for example, ≥ 50% strong staining 3+); they must be users who have failed standard treatments; they may need to go through specific cancer centers or specialized hospitals, and screening testing channels. This means that reimbursement eligibility may depend not only on the drug itself, but also on whether the patient meets rigorous biomarker screening, frontline conditions for treatment, and relevant clinical specifications.

In general, if domestic patients currently need to use EMRELIS EMRELIS, they are still in the state of "the drug has not yet been launched, is not covered by medical insurance, and may be paid at their own expense." It is recommended that patients actively communicate with oncology and lung cancer specialists in their hospitals, and pay attention to the approval of the domestic Food and Drug Administration, updates to the medical insurance catalog, and whether there are clinical trials or the opening of imported drug channels. At the same time, be sure to choose formal channels, ensure that the drugs are legal and compliant, and prepare a self-pay budget. The corresponding reimbursement policy will be truly implemented after the drug is launched in China and included in medical insurance in the future.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/