How much does it cost to treat with neratinib/neratinib for one year?

Neratinib is a targeted drug used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. For extended adjuvant treatment of early-stage breast cancer, neratinib is recommended as a continuation treatment option after trastuzumab (Herceptin) treatment to prevent disease recurrence. The treatment plan for neratinib usually requires patients to take 240 mg (6 tablets) orally daily with food, and the treatment period is up to one year.

In China, the original drug of neratinib has been approved and has been included in Class B medical insurance, which provides certain financial support to patients who meet the indications. The common specifications of neratinib are40mg*180 tablets, and the price per box is about 7,000 yuan. Due to the limitations of the medical insurance reimbursement policy, patients can reimburse part of the expenses through medical insurance if they meet specific indications and are covered by medical insurance, but they still have to bear a certain amount of out-of-pocket expenses. Therefore, the overall cost of one year of treatment may vary based on an individual's health insurance reimbursement status.

In order to reduce the financial pressure on patients, in addition to the original drug, generic drugs of neratinib have also been launched in overseas markets. The ingredients of these generic drugs are basically the same as the original drugs, but the prices are more affordable. For example, the price of a 40mg*180 tablet generic drug produced by Lucius Pharmaceutical Factory in Laos is about more than 2,000 yuan. Although it may change due to exchange rate fluctuations, overall it is much cheaper than the original drug. Pharmaceutical companies such as Bangladesh Yaopin International have also produced generic versions of neratinib, and these drugs also have relatively reasonable prices.

For some patients, especially in overseas markets, the price of generic drugs undoubtedly provides a more economically viable option. However, patients still need to pay attention to whether the quality and efficacy of generic drugs are completely equivalent to the original drugs. Although international drug quality supervision is gradually strengthening, patients should still be cautious when choosing generic drugs to ensure that the source of the drugs is reliable.

References:https://www.fda.gov/drugs/resources-information-approved-drugs/fda-approves-neratinib-metastatic-her2-positive-breast-cancer