The 'high-priced drug' was invoked again, and the domestic PD-1 fell to 1,000 yuan. Why can't the 1.2 million CAR-T drop?

Recently, the well-known academic journal "NEJM" published an article describing a new study: The PD-1 preparation Dostarlimab was administered to 12 patients with dMMR locally advanced rectal cancer. They also did not experience relapses, exacerbations, or significant discomfort.

Interestingly, the cost of the preparation is about 73,000 yuan, which is more acceptable to some extent than the "sky-priced drug" that is hotly discussed on the Internet. However, compared with the increase in foreign high-priced drugs, many domestic innovative pharmaceutical companies have also performed well. The cost of many PD-1 preparations has dropped to less than 2,000 yuan, which has ushered in a lot of heated discussions.

Has the sky-high medicine started to be "introduced" again? Why is the price of CAR-T cell therapy, which has attracted much attention with the "sky-high price" of 1.2 million injections, still firm?

1. The domestic PD-1 fell to 1,000 yuan, and the pattern of "high-priced drugs" changed greatly

Since the implementation of the new medical insurance catalogue this year, the medical insurance cost of domestic PD-1 has been reduced again. For example, Junshi 240 mg PD-1 has dropped to 1912.96 yuan; Baiji PD-1 has dropped to 1450 yuan; Cinda PD-1 is even more down to 1080 yuan.

It is worth mentioning that with the intensification of competition and the implementation of medical insurance, the cost of PD-1 use may still have room to drop, and the competition in related fields will continue. In the future, there may be excess production capacity, which is considered to be a domestic PD-1 "internal volume". ” important reason. The data shows that there are 4,171 PD-1-related clinical trials, and China has taken over 1,224 of them. Relevant research reports also revealed that it is estimated that by the end of this year, there may be 12 domestic PD-1 models approved for marketing.

The involution of PD-1 has ushered in extensive discussions in the industry. Many people believe that domestic PD-1 has been greatly developed and has far exceeded the previous level, which shows that Chinese biopharmaceutical companies have been able to wrestle with foreign countries. Although the market competition will become more and more fierce, more mature PD-1 products will also be produced, and they will gradually be clinically applied, so the relevant manufacturers and products are required to be strong. In addition, the scope of application of PD-1 will become wider and wider, and more patients may benefit from it in the future, and it is only a matter of time before the launch of related products will be promoted to the grassroots market.

So, for ordinary people, will this period of time be long?

2. Why can't the 1.2 million CAR-T drop down after a single injection "clears" cancer cells?

While the PD-1 series of target drugs are being rolled out collectively, the "sky-high-priced drugs" that cost millions of dollars are as stable as Mount Tai. To put it bluntly, how much money you need to pay after medical insurance, and how much cheaper it can be after being included in medical insurance, these are of great concern to ordinary people.

The first CAR-T anti-cancer needle in China, "Yikaida", which was approved last year, is well known to everyone with 1.2 million needles to "zero" cancer cells. Ms. Chen from Shanghai became the first beneficiary and has been discharged from the hospital nearly after use. 1 year. As a new type of anti-cancer therapy, CAR-T cannot be produced according to gourds and molds, but needs to be "individualized" according to different patients. Therefore, its research and development and production are complex and require a lot of cost. , which may also be the main reason for the high threshold for the use of this therapy.

Although the performance of CAR-T is dazzling enough, the "astronomical price" of 1.2 million needles has really persuaded many people. At present, the therapy has not been included in medical insurance, and the industry basically believes that it is not practical for medical insurance to pay for its "astronomical price". Former Fosun Kite CEO Wang Liqun said bluntly that the treatment could not be included in medical insurance because the cost was too high. Therefore, CAR-T cannot drop as much as 20,000 heart stents, and its price reduction can only be pinned on the improvement of production technology, and the cost reduction can be achieved through technological upgrading. In this regard, the case of cutting-edge biotechnology achievements WLife Maybe learn from.

Earlier, due to the difficulty in obtaining raw materials and the backward production technology, the substances whose aging intervention mechanism was revealed by Harvard, Washington University and other institutions were first obtained by Hong Kong Fu Li and others at an "astronomical price" of more than 1.5 million. Then, with the entry of domestic biotechnology company Lightweijian, the relevant purification process dropped to more than 95% of the threshold for use, coupled with the substantial increase in factory production capacity, after being introduced into domestic Qidong and Tianzhu, the cost of use has fallen below 1,000 yuan. It attracted many middle-class people.

It is worth mentioning that it has been confirmed by Spanish scientists that it has a positive mechanism for cancer prevention and early canceration. However, the middle-class people in first- and second-tier cities in China are more concerned about the previous American scientists extending the lifespan of mice by 30%. The purpose of extending and maintaining a youthful state is vying for it. It can be seen that if the CAR-T with 1.2 million needles is to be "grounded", it may only hope for the progress of related technologies in the future. Judging from the current rate of medical technology development in China, it may only be a matter of time.

3. "Life-saving medicine" keeps dropping, why do people still "don't dare to get sick"?

With the implementation of new medical insurance, the cost of using more and more innovative targeted drugs and tumor immunotherapy has been greatly reduced, but there are still many people who say they are afraid to get sick.

There may be many people who feel that even if it is a minor illness and pain, it is not enough to spend thousands of yuan, not to mention those "serious illnesses" that require hospitalization. Take those "life-saving medicines" as an example. In addition to being expensive, they also need to be taken for a long time. Most people can't bear it. They can only choose the traditional and conservative plan, or simply go home and lie down.

Moreover, even if the cost of drugs is reduced, the treatment of a serious illness also involves various aspects such as examination, hospitalization, nursing, and rehabilitation, which also require a lot of cost support. In addition, when seriously ill patients stop working because of illness, their family members have to ask for leave to accompany them, which is undoubtedly aggravating for many families with excessive expenditures and car and mortgage loans. A serious illness can bring a relatively wealthy middle-class family back to its original shape. The fundamental reason is that the expenditures are too large and the economic strength is not enough.

Therefore, for ordinary people, prevention is more important than treatment, and it is no wonder that more and more people are starting to strengthen exercise, pay attention to health preservation, routine physical examination, etc. After all, the principle of preventing problems before they occur, most People can still figure it out.