Lung cancer patients will be able to purchase Tagrisso at 340,000 won ($312) per month starting next Tuesday, a 96.6 percent price cut from 10 million won ($9.190) per month thanks to insurance coverage.

The cost savings stem from the health authority’s decision to grant reimbursement for the drug, following a drawn-out negotiation between the National Health Insurance Service and drug developer AstraZeneca since October.

The delay in price negotiations has drawn outcry from lung cancer patients who took to the streets to demonstrate their urgency.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it expects the reimbursement plan to reduce the financial burden and increase accessibility of immunotherapies for non-small cell lung cancer patients.

AstraZeneca’s Tagrisso gained the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s approval in May as a third-generation targeted lung cancer therapy for patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-T790M mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.

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