How much does it cost approximately one month after treatment with Tarlatamab?

Tarlatamab (Tarlatamab) is a new bispecific T cell-engaging antibody, mainly used to treat patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) who have previously received platinum-containing chemotherapy. The drug was developed by Amgen and received accelerated approval from the U.S. FDA in 2024. Because it is the first T cell-engaging drug that targets DLL3 and is administered via intravenous injection, the cost of treatment is relatively high.

According to public information, the price of talatumumab has not yet been publicly disclosed in the domestic market. In the United States, its first treatment cycle (i.e., 28 days after the start of treatment) is approximately 31,500 US dollars, equivalent to approximately 21.5 yuan in RMB. After that, it enters the maintenance treatment stage, and the cost of one cycle every 28 days is about 30,000 US dollars, which is approximately RMB 21 yuan. In other words, if the patient continues to receive treatment, the total monthly cost will be more than 20 RMB. This does not include additional medical costs during hospitalization, as the first dose often needs to be monitored in the hospital to prevent side effects such as cytokine release syndrome.

At present, talatumumab has not yet been officially launched in China, and the drug is not covered by medical insurance. Therefore, domestic patients who want to use the drug mainly rely on overseas drug purchase channels. However, due to the high price and lack of generic drugs, as well as the lack of mature domestic assistance programs, most patients face a high financial burden.

In general, although talatumumab has shown potential in treating some refractory small cell lung cancer, its monthly treatment cost is as high as 20more than yuan. It belongs to the category of high-end innovative drugs. It is recommended that patients make a decision after weighing the efficacy and affordability under the guidance of a doctor. In the future, if it can be included in medical insurance or a patient assistance program is launched, its clinical accessibility will be greatly improved.

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