Can erdafitinib be reimbursed by medical insurance?

Erdafitinib (Erdafitinib) is an oral small molecule targeted drug. It is mainly used to treat locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC; bladder cancer ) with FGFR2 or FGFR3 mutations. It has shown good efficacy especially in patients who have progressed after failure of previous platinum-containing chemotherapy. This drug represents a new direction in precision treatment of molecular targets. Its core advantage is that it can selectively inhibit the FGFR signaling pathway related to tumor cell proliferation based on the genetic characteristics of the patient's tumor, thereby achieving personalized treatment goals. Currently, erdafitinib has been approved for marketing by the US FDA and included in the NCCN guideline recommendation sequence. It is a cutting-edge drug for the treatment of FGFR mutant advanced bladder cancer.

In China, erdafitinib has been officially approved for marketing by the National Medical Products Administration under the trade name "BALVERSA" and has entered the market as an imported targeted drug. Its common specifications include 5 mg 28 tablets, 4 mg 28 tablets and 3 mg * 56 tablets. The specific dosage is adjusted by the clinician according to the patient's genetic mutation type and individual tolerance. However, due to the short time the drug has been on the market, it has not yet been included in China's national medical insurance directory, which means that patients need to bear all the costs when purchasing the drug in regular hospitals or pharmacies, and the financial burden is relatively heavy. In particular, long-term treatment requires high costs, which makes many patients face the dilemma of medication decision-making.

Since it is not currently covered by medical insurance, some patients will consider obtaining the drug through overseas purchase channels. For example, "self-paid drugs" can be obtained through formal medical or pharmacy platforms in Hong Kong, India and other places. Some patients also rely on the hospital's special imported drug application channel to obtain short-term medication support. It should be noted that any cross-border drug purchase should comply with relevant national laws and regulations, giving priority to doctor's advice and proceeding in a safe and compliant manner.

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