Domestic Anti-Lung Cancer Targeted Drug Gefitinib Tablets Slashed to RMB 498 per Box Starting April

Economic Daily - China Economic Net, March 31 (Reporter Zhu Guowang) – The reporter learned from Qilu Pharmaceutical that, in order to help more lung cancer patients access targeted therapy drugs and further reduce the financial burden on patients, Qilu Pharmaceutical has once again significantly reduced the price of Yireke (Gefitinib Tablets) to 498 yuan per box. Jiangsu Province will be the first to implement this new price starting in April, resulting in even lower out-of-pocket costs for patients after reimbursement through medical insurance and rural cooperative medical schemes.

Lung cancer is currently the most prevalent malignant tumor in China and worldwide, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for the majority of cases. Gefitinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), is indicated as first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC harboring sensitive EGFR gene mutations. Long-term clinical practice has demonstrated that gefitinib exhibits particularly significant efficacy in Asian patients, owing to factors such as constitutional differences. Consequently, it has been hailed as “a gift from God to the Asian population” and has become a star anticancer drug in the eyes of lung cancer patients.

Gefitinib was launched in the Chinese market by a British company in 2005 and maintained exclusive dominance for 11 years. Its price remained above RMB 5,000 per box for an extended period, resulting in total treatment costs per patient reaching hundreds of thousands of yuan. Consequently, many patients fell into poverty, and tens of thousands were forced to let their condition worsen due to unaffordable treatment expenses.

By the end of 2016, after seven years of research and development, Yireke (gefitinib tablets), produced by Qilu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., was officially approved for market launch in China. At that time, the price of domestically produced gefitinib was over RMB 1,600 per box, less than one-third the price of the imported drug.

To promote price reductions for anticancer drugs and ensure that the public has access to affordable, high-quality medications, Qilu Pharmaceutical has further lowered the price of its product Yiruike to RMB 498 per box. This move demonstrates the company’s commitment as a domestic enterprise and reflects its dedicated efforts and investments in new drug research and development. Thanks to the relentless efforts of Chinese pharmaceutical companies, the once exorbitantly priced gefitinib has seen a 90% price reduction over the past 14 years, delivering tangible benefits to patients.

It is reported that Qilu Pharmaceutical was the first company in China to market gefitinib tablets. In late 2017, it became the first antineoplastic drug among the initial batch announced by the state to pass the National Consistency Evaluation of Quality and Efficacy for Generic Drugs. In January 2019, Yireke officially received a letter of registration approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), formally approving its registration in the UK, with the first generic version of Yireke scheduled to be launched in the UK in June. During the same period, the registration processes for Yireke in Germany, Spain, and other countries were progressing smoothly, with approval expected shortly.

According to Qilu Pharmaceutical, the adjusted price of Yireke will be gradually implemented across China, and patients in various regions will soon experience a reduced medication burden resulting from the price adjustment.