BeiGene launches patient assistance program for PD-1 treatment

Hong Kong- and Nasdaq-listed BeiGene has partnered with the China Primary Health Care Foundation to launch a patient assistance program for cancer patients who are taking its PD-1 drug, tislelizumab.

According to the foundation’s Chinese notice, eligible patients can pay for the first two treatment cycles to receive the next two doses for free, after which they can either continue with this 2+2 option or pay for the next three doses to receive free doses for up to one more year or until there is disease progression or when the program ends. In China, each 100-milligram dose of tislelizumab currently costs about $1,500.

Patient assistance programs have been widely used by global pharmas in China. Newly launched innovative medicines are typically too expensive for patients to afford out of pocket, so before the manufacturer is able to negotiate for the treatment’s inclusion on the reimbursement list, the programs help companies promote uptake by lowering costs.