How much does a course of tocilizumab cost?

Some patients will begin to see improvement within a few weeks of treatment with tocilizumab, but it may take several months for full effects to be seen. Tocilizumab can be taken alone or with methotrexate or other nonbiologic drugs and should not be used in combination with other biologic drugs. Because weight may fluctuate, do not change dosage based solely on weight measurement at a single visit. The price of each course of treatment varies depending on the dosage used to treat the disease.

When tocilizumab is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, it is usually given intravenously every 4 weeks or subcutaneously every week or every other week; when used to treat giant cell arteritis, it is usually given subcutaneously every 4 weeks; to treat interstitial lung disease associated with systemic sclerosis When treating polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, it is usually injected subcutaneously once a week; when treating polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, it is usually injected intravenously every 4 weeks or subcutaneously every 2 or 3 weeks; when treating systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, it is usually injected intravenously every 2 weeks or subcutaneously every 2 weeks; when treating cytokine release syndrome, it is usually administered in one dose, but up to 3 more doses can be given at least 8 hours apart.

TocilizumabThe original drug has been launched in China and has been included in the medical insurance. Due to its short time on the market, it is limited to second-line treatment of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is still treated with traditional DMARDs. For patients whose disease activity has decreased by less than 50% within 3 to 6 months of treatment, tocilizumab injection can only be used as directed by the doctor. The price per box is around RMB 8,600, which is relatively expensive. The price of the European version of tocilizumab original drug sold overseas is around RMB 14,000 per box (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The ingredients and efficacy of the two drugs are basically the same. Currently, there are no generic drugs produced and marketed overseas, and patients can choose by themselves.