Glenmark Slashes Cost Of Breast Cancer Drug Trastuzumab In India

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, the global pharmaceutical company on Thursday restructured the price of Trastuzumab drug indicated for HER2‐positive breast cancer. The drug is being marketed in India under the brand name ‘ Trumab’. A 440 mg vial of Trumab will be priced at Rs 15,749, which makes it the most affordable option available currently in the country, the company said in a statement. 

Trastuzumab is a monoclonal antibody that has been the mainstay of HER2‐positive breast cancer treatment for many years. The cost of Trastuzumab treatment has been a major barrier for many patients in India. Most of the existing Trastuzumab brands in the market are priced in between Rs 40,000 to Rs 54,000 per 440 mg vial, the company said.

Considering that a patient needs to undergo a minimum of 18 cycles (12 months) of treatment, the average cost of treatment ranges from Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 5,00,000 for early breast cancer and can exceed Rs 5,00,000 for advanced/metastatic cases. This can be a significant financial burden for many families, especially in India, where out-of-pocket expenditures account for approx. 52 per cent of the total healthcare financing. 

Alok Malik, Executive Vice President & Head of India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals said, “At Glenmark, we believe that everyone deserves access to quality healthcare, regardless of their financial situation. Our company’s move of reducing the cost of its life‐saving drug Trumab is a major step in this regard. This will not only increase the accessibility but also bring hope to over 75 per cent of self-paying HER2‐positive breast cancer patients in India.”

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in India, accounting for 13.5 per cent of all cases, with an estimated 1.78 lakh new cases diagnosed each year, and a 5‐year prevalence of 4.5 lakh cases, according to GLOBOCAN 2020 report. The incidence of HER2 positivity in the Indian population ranges between 26 per cent and 50 per cent.    

The company's stock was trading 0.39 per cent lower on Thursday at Rs 635.15 per scrip as of 12:20 on BSE.