Is Avatrombopag Tablets/Sukesin reimbursable in medical insurance?

Avatrombopag is a new oral thrombopoietin receptor agonist (TPO-RA). It mainly stimulates the maturation of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow and releases platelets, thereby effectively increasing platelet counts. The drug has been approved for marketing in many countries and regions. Its indications in China mainly include two categories: first, it is used to treat thrombocytopenia in patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) before undergoing elective invasive procedures (such as liver puncture, tumor ablation, etc.) to reduce the risk of intraoperative bleeding; second, it is used to treat adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who have had poor response or relapse to previous treatments.

In the treatment of ITPAvatrombopag is considered an important second-line treatment drug for patients who have an inadequate response to glucocorticoids or immunoglobulins, or who cannot tolerate these treatments. Compared with other similar drugs (such as eltrombopag and trombopag), avatrombopag does not need to be taken on an empty stomach, has no obvious liver toxicity, has a rapid onset of action, and has small individual differences, so it is gradually favored in clinical practice. Especially for ITP patients who require long-term maintenance treatment, its good compliance and safety advantages are more prominent.

Regarding the medical insurance policy, avatrombopag has been officially included in China's national medical insurance catalog at the end of 2023. The indication scope is "adult patients with chronic liver disease-related thrombocytopenia who are scheduled to undergo elective diagnostic procedures or surgeries." This means that eligible ITP patients can enjoy the medical insurance reimbursement policy when using the drug, which greatly eases the financial burden. The current medical insurance reimbursement classification of this drug is a Class B drug, and the specific reimbursement ratio varies depending on regional medical insurance policies.

In general, avatrombopag is a new type of TPO receptor agonist with accurate efficacy and convenient administration. It has received partial medical insurance support in China, and has shown broad prospects in the field of ITP treatment. If patients need medication, it is recommended that they be reasonably evaluated and used in a standardized manner under the guidance of a hematology or hepatology specialist.

Reference materials:https://go.drugbank.com/drugs/DB11995