Osimertinib Price in India: What Patients Need to Know Before Buying

What is Osimertinib & Why It Matters?

Osimertinib, also known by its brand name Tagrisso, is usually used to treat lung cancer, especially non-small cell lung cancer. These drugs work by binding irreversibly to the EGFR mutant proteins, including the common sensitizing mutations and the T790M resistance mutation. This helps to slow or stop tumor growth in EGFR-mutated NSCLC. 

Mechanism of working may include:

• These medications generally are used to treat first-line treatment for EGFR mutant disease, or after failure of earlier EGFR therapies.
• These drugs have the advantages of crossing the blood-brain barrier, which helps in brain metastases, when compared to some older EGFR inhibitors.
• It gives huge benefits, because of which many oncologists consider it a ‘preferred’ agent in eligible patients.

Note: Eligible patients with the right mutation will get the benefits of these medications, but these benefits come with huge costs!

What Patients Should Understand/Ask Before Buying

Here are a few things to know about Osimertinib drugs and key characteristics you need to understand before starting your treatments. Including:

Confirm the prescription and its dosage:

Consult your doctor and confirm whether you have an EGFR mutation for which osimertinib is approved for your further treatments. Ask your healthcare provider about the strength of medications (40mg, 80mg) and how it affects your therapy and duration of your treatments.

Additionally, ask if you are getting a first-line treatment or later-line treatment for your cancer treatments. 

Tablets per strip and its costs:

Usually a drug strip might contain a minimum of 10 tablets, while a box might have 3 strips with a total of 30 tablets. If you are told to get a box, then check the number of tablets contained in them. 

Always ask for the MRP printed on the pack, try to compare with what the pharmacy is charging for these tablets. 

Prescription and regulatory status:

Make sure to have valid prescriptions from your oncologists, because osimertinib is a specialty/ oncology drug which comes with various side effects. Ask whether the brand is the one approved by Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) India or imported from foreign countries. 

Duration of treatment and ongoing cost:

These drugs are often taken on a daily basis until the disease progresses or unacceptable toxicity occurs; the cost of the drug starts to accumulate. Try to ask your oncology team how long your cancer therapy is expected to last and what types of monitoring are needed, including scans and labs, which add to the cost.

Insurance/ reimbursement:

Check whether your insurance will cover targeted therapies or not. Try to check and confirm whether these may be excluded or partially covered in your policies. Make sure whether there is any patient assistance programme (PAP) from the manufacturer or NGO available for getting these drugs. 

While some medical institutions might have ‘drug-access’ programmes for high-cost therapy, to support patients, so don’t hesitate and ask your oncology team for assurance.

Drug alternatives/ generics:

Ask if there are any approved generic drugs in India, while as of now there is limited accessibility and availability for this drug. Talk to your oncologist if older EGFR inhibitors like gefitinib and erlotinib are considered good options for treatments. These may be effective or not suitable depending on mutation or prior cancer treatment.

Consult Today

Osimertinib is a powerful targeted therapy for EGFR-mutant lung cancer, but it comes with a very high cost in India. While being informed about its doses, pack size, and generics is essential for a patient's treatment journey. The cost consideration of these drugs is not just one-time use, as these treatments can run for months/years, which makes patients' financial planning essential.

At Oncare, we offer premium-quality cancer treatments, including advanced cancer surgeries at an affordable price range with an experienced cancer specialist consultation.

If you or any loved ones of yours are diagnosed with cancer, then visit Oncare Cancer Center and book an appointment with our experienced cancer specialist today! Get an estimated cost of your cancer treatments today!