Drastic cancer drug price drop to benefit patients

KUALA LUMPUR: The price of the costly trastuzumab, a breast cancer drug for HER2-positive patients has dropped by more than half in the tender to the Health Ministry, resulting in more patients expected to be treated in the ministry hospitals.

According to industry sources, the originator pharmaceutical company has dropped the price of the drug by about 52% in a tender approved by the ministry after a local drug company brought in a biosimilar version of the drug – the first in Malaysia – that costs about 50% of the original price.