Can Enfortumab be reimbursed by medical insurance?

The original drug of Veentumab/Enfortumab for injection has been officially launched in China. However, due to the short time on the market, the current medical insurance-related policies have not yet been fully clarified. As an innovative antibody drug, veentuzumab is mainly used for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer (mUC; bladder cancer). Such patients have often received multiple standard treatment options, with limited efficacy and high recurrence rates. Therefore, the clinical value of veentuzumab is widely recognized by experts, but its high treatment cost has become an important issue of concern to patients.

In the international market, the price of veentuzumab varies depending on national policies, medical insurance coverage and drug procurement methods. For example, the annual treatment cost of veentuzumab in the U.S. market is relatively high, usually ranging from tens of thousands of dollars, which reflects the cost investment in R&D, production and global distribution of the original antibody drug. European countries have moderately adjusted drug prices through national medical insurance negotiations and price supervision systems to make them more accessible for clinical application. In contrast, as a newly approved drug in China, its price system and medical insurance coverage are still in the gradual improvement stage, so patients still need to bear higher out-of-pocket costs during initial use.

In China, medical insurance reimbursement usually requires drugs to be included in the national or local medical insurance catalog, and indications and drug users must be clearly defined. Since Veentuzumab has just been approved, its medical insurance negotiations and payment policies have not yet been implemented. Therefore, if patients currently want to use the drug, they need to purchase the drug through formal import channels or hospitals and bear all costs. However, with the accumulation of clinical data and the growing demand for treatment, relevant departments are expected to incorporate it into the medical insurance payment system in the future, especially in special payment policies for patients with advanced urothelial cancer.

Reference: https://www.padcev.com/