BEIJING: When Ms. Liu, a cancer patient, picked up a box of medication at the hospital pharmacy, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
She had just become the first person in China to receive a prescription for Mitotane, the only drug approved for treating adrenocortical carcinoma — a rare, aggressive cancer that affects the adrenal glands.
Just 48 hours after Mitotane was approved for marketing in the Chinese mainland on Jan. 7, the drug arrived at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH), a national leader in rare disease diagnosis and treatment.
The medication was promptly prescribed to 10 patients like Liu, who had traveled from across the country to access this life-saving treatment. “Finally, the day has come!” they exclaimed, no longer dependent on sourcing the drug from overseas.
Adrenocortical carcinoma is exceptionally rare, with an incidence rate of just one in a million and a five-year survival rate of approximately 30 percent. Radical surgery is the preferred treatment, but many patients, diagnosed at advanced stages or with metastases, are left with Mitotane as their only option.
“I look forward to the day when Mitotane is covered by medical insurance,” Liu said, filled with hope for the future.
For the 20 million rare disease patients in China, accurate diagnoses, timely treatment, and affordable medications are shared goals. As the country makes significant strides in tackling rare diseases to fulfill its promise of ensuring health for its 1.4 billion people, patients like Liu are finding new rays of hope. –Agencies
