Approximate cost of a course of treatment with gaffetuzumab

Glofitamab is a bispecific monoclonal antibody developed by Roche. It mainly targets relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and other non-Hodgkin lymphoma types. Its unique mechanism activates the immune system to directly kill tumor cells by simultaneously binding CD20 (surface of B cells) and CD3 (surface of T cells). With the official launch of this drug in mainland China, patients and doctors are rapidly becoming more concerned about its price and treatment costs.

Based on the recommended dosage regimen, treatment with gaffetuzumab is divided into two phases. Cycle 1 is a dose escalation phase, with 2.5 mg administered intravenously on the 8th day and increased to 10 mg on the 15th day. Starting from the second cycle, it enters the maintenance treatment phase every 21 days, with 30 mg injected on the first day of each cycle, and a total of up to 13 infusions can be given. In other words, a complete course of standard treatment requires a cumulative injection of 2.5mg, 10mg and 11 times of 30mg, for a total dose of 332.5mg.

From a cost point of view, geffetumab has been approved for marketing in mainland China, but has not yet been included in the medical insurance system. According to public channels, the 10mg/10ml preparation sold domestically sells for about 30,000 yuan per box. Based on the total dose of treatment, the total cost for patients may reach about one million yuan.

Since this drug is still a newly launched innovative drug, relevant medical insurance or patient assistance programs are still being established, and patients are under great pressure to pay out of pocket. While waiting for medical insurance access, some hospitals or pharmaceutical companies are advancing cooperation negotiations and trying to reduce the cost of single medication through clinical assistance projects. Some patients also choose to introduce European original drugs through cross-border drug purchase, but they need to be wary of drug sources, channel compliance and safety issues.

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