Can Obeticholic acid be purchased in the country? Where can I buy it?

Whether obeticholic acid can be purchased in China is a question that many patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) repeatedly consult. What needs to be made clear at the moment is that obeticholic acid has not yet been officially approved for marketing in mainland China, so it cannot be purchased directly in public hospitals and regular pharmacies, nor can it be reimbursed through medical insurance channels. This situation means that domestic patients usually need to use overseas channels or special channels to obtain the drug.

In the international market, obeticholic acid has been launched in many countries and regions. The original drug is produced by multinational pharmaceutical companies, and the quality and supervision system is relatively mature. Some Chinese patients obtain the drug through overseas hospitals, international pharmacies or cross-border medical service platforms. These methods are relatively controllable in terms of compliance and drug sources, but the cost is generally higher. At the same time, as patent protection is gradually liberalized, some countries have launched generic obeticholic acid drugs, whose active ingredients are basically the same as the original drugs, providing patients with more choices.

Currently, the obeticholic acid generics circulating on the market mainly come from some overseas pharmaceutical companies and are relatively affordable. However, patients need to pay special attention to production qualifications, quality standards, and transportation and storage conditions when choosing. The medical community generally recommends that before using obeticholic acid from any source, a professional doctor should evaluate the indications and potential risks to avoid the uncertainty caused by self-medication.

Looking at the long-term trend, as China pays more attention to the treatment of rare diseases and chronic liver diseases, whether obeticholic acid will be approved in China in the future still deserves attention. Prior to this, if patients need medication, they should obtain information through formal and transparent channels and use it in a standardized manner under follow-up by a doctor. A rational view of drug sources and treatment expectations is particularly important when domestic patients use obeticholic acid at this stage.

References:https://www.interceptpharma.com/about-us/ocaliva-withdrawal-faq/