Why is Trientine so expensive?

As an important therapeutic drug for patients with Wilson's disease (hepatolenticular degeneration), the price of Trientine has remained high for a long time. The main reason is closely related to the scarcity of the drug, R&D costs and the complexity of the production process. First of all, trientine is a drug with niche indications and is mainly used for patients who are intolerant to the first-choice drug penicillamine or who experience severe side effects. Due to the limited number of patient groups, it is difficult for manufacturers to share costs through large-scale sales during the R&D and production processes, so the price of a single dose is naturally high.

Secondly, the production process of trientine is relatively complex. The drug itself is a special chelating agent, which requires high purity and strong stability, and has strict requirements on capsule packaging and storage conditions. Capsules need to be stored in an airtight environment at 2°-8°C, and additional investment is required for transportation and storage, which further drives up the cost of the drug. At the same time, as original research imported drugs, it involves tariffs, international logistics and regulatory approvals, which will increase the final retail price.

In addition, the special clinical value of trientine is also a factor in the high price. If Wilson's disease is not controlled in time, it can lead to liver damage, neurological damage and even serious complications. Trientine can effectively chelate excess copper in the body and is almost the only feasible alternative for patients who cannot tolerate penicillamine. This attribute of "life-saving medicine" often makes its market pricing at a relatively high level.

Domestic trientine is restricted by sales channels and supply policies, which also keeps the price at a high level. In overseas markets, the German version of the original trientine drug200mg*100 tablets may be sold for more than 40,000 yuan, while the price of generic drugs in India and other places is relatively low, but due to import policies and exchange rate effects, the price is still higher than that of ordinary conventional drugs. Therefore, the reasons why trientine is expensive can be summarized as follows: niche indications, high R&D and production costs, limited import channels, and high clinical value.

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