Why is tacrolimus ointment expensive?
In recent years, tacrolimus ointment has attracted much attention due to its significant efficacy in treating skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis and eczema, but its high price has also discouraged many patients. This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days, conduct an in-depth analysis of the reasons why tacrolimus ointment is expensive, and present relevant background information through structured data.
1. Basic information about tacrolimus ointment

Tacrolimus ointment is an immunosuppressant that mainly reduces skin inflammation by inhibiting T cell activity. The following are its basic data:
| Project | data |
|---|---|
| common name | Tacrolimus ointment |
| Indications | Atopic dermatitis, eczema, etc. |
| Specifications | Two concentrations of 0.03% and 0.1% |
| price range | 100-500 yuan/piece (depending on specifications and brand) |
2. Reasons why tacrolimus ointment is expensive
1.High R&D costs: The research and development of tacrolimus ointment involves complex immune mechanism research and clinical trials, requiring huge investment. The following is the research and development-related data that has been hotly discussed in the past 10 days:
| R&D stage | Average cost (100 million yuan) |
|---|---|
| drug discovery | 5-10 |
| clinical trial | 10-20 |
| Listing approval | 1-3 |
2.Complex production process: Tacrolimus has a complex molecular structure and extremely high production process requirements, resulting in high production costs.
3.Patent protection: Original pharmaceutical companies enjoy a patent protection period (usually 20 years), during which other companies are unable to produce generic drugs, forming a monopoly price.
4.Strong market demand: In recent years, the number of patients with skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis has increased, and the relationship between supply and demand has pushed up prices. The following is the search popularity data in the past 10 days:
| keywords | Search index (daily average) |
|---|---|
| Tacrolimus ointment | 15,000 |
| atopic dermatitis | 25,000 |
| Eczema treatment | 30,000 |
3. How patients cope with high prices
1.Medical insurance policy: In some areas, tacrolimus ointment is included in medical insurance, and part of the cost can be reimbursed. The following is the recent medical insurance coverage status:
| area | Reimbursement ratio |
|---|---|
| Beijing | 70% |
| Shanghai | 60% |
| Guangdong | 50% |
2.generic drug substitution: After the patent expires, the price of domestic generic drugs will be lower (about 30%-50% of the original drug).
3.Rational use of medication: Follow doctor’s advice to control dosage and avoid waste.
4. Future price trends
As more generic drugs are launched and medical insurance policies are improved, the price of tacrolimus ointment is expected to gradually decrease. But in the short term, its high prices will continue.
To sum up, the high price of tacrolimus ointment is the result of the combination of research and development costs, production technology, patent protection and market demand. Patients can reduce their burden through medical insurance, generic drugs, etc., and look forward to more affordable prices in the future.
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