Glenmark cuts price of breast cancer drug in India

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in India, accounting for 13.5% of all cases

Pharma major Glenmark on June 15 said it cut the price of its breast cancer drug, Trumab, to Rs 35 per mg. The 440 mg vial will now cost Rs 15,749. Other brands in the market are priced between Rs 40,000 and Rs 54,000.

The product earlier cost around Rs 54,000. This price change reduces the price by 70 percent.

“This will not only increase the accessibility, but also bring hope to over 75 percent of self‐paying HER2‐positive breast cancer patients in India,” said Alok Malik, Executive Vice President & Head of India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. in a press statement.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in India, accounting for 13.5 percent of all cancer cases. Almost 1.78 lakh new cases are diagnosed each year, according to Global Cancer Observatory's 2020 report. Globocan is an online database providing global cancer statistics.

Breast cancer identified as HER2‐positive tends to grow faster, metastasise and recurs. Trumab works by binding to the HER2 protein and blocking its activity.

A patient usually needs to undergo a minimum of 18 cycles (12 months) of treatment, the average cost of treatment ranges from Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for early breast cancer and can exceed Rs 5 lakh for advanced/metastatic cases.