The launch date of Trientine in China

Trientine(Trientine) is an important chelating agent used to treat Wilson's disease with a long history of use in international guidelines. Since Wilson's disease is a rare disease with a limited number of patients and treatment that relies on specific drugs, its domestic launch process has always attracted much attention. It was not until November 2023, with the advancement of the franchise policy of Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, that Trientin officially entered the Chinese market through "franchised import channels", allowing some patients to obtain treatment plans that are in line with international standards earlier. Although this is not equivalent to an official launch in a nationwide sense, it does mark a key step for Trientine's domestic access.

Boao Lecheng's franchised import mechanism allows overseas drugs that have not yet been fully launched in mainland China to provide domestic patients with medication options in the form of "first trials". With the support of this policy, trientine can be prescribed and used through innovative medical institutions in Lecheng, providing patients with Wilson's disease with a more professional diagnosis and treatment path. Since Wilson's disease is a genetic disorder of copper metabolism, treatment requires continuous and precise copper chelation management, so obtaining a stable supply of drugs is of great significance to patients.

In the past, patients mainly relied on penicillamine or zinc for treatment, but for patients who are intolerant or have insufficient efficacy of penicillamine, trientine is of great significance as an alternative option. However, the listing of Qu Enting in Lecheng is still accompanied by some objective restrictions. First of all, drugs can only be prescribed and used within the Lecheng area, and patients need to go to the local area for face-to-face consultation or approved telemedicine evaluation before purchasing drugs. Secondly, the quantity and channels of drug supply are limited to a certain extent and have not yet been included in the medical insurance system, so patients need to bear relatively high out-of-pocket costs. Furthermore, since imported drugs require full cold chain or standardized storage, logistics costs will further affect prices.

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