Which Country Is Yervoy (Ipilimumab) Cheapest In? — 2026 Guide

Why does the price differ so much between countries?

Yervoy (ipilimumab) is Bristol Myers Squibb's fully human monoclonal antibody that blocks CTLA-4, an immune checkpoint that normally dampens T-cell activation, approved for melanoma (as monotherapy or combined with nivolumab), advanced renal cell carcinoma in combination with nivolumab, and microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) metastatic colorectal cancer, again typically combined with nivolumab. It is supplied as a concentrate for intravenous infusion and given in a hospital or specialist oncology day unit. Because it is frequently used in combination regimens rather than dispensed alone at a retail pharmacy counter, Yervoy moves through institutional procurement — hospital tenders and negotiated framework contracts — and that combination-therapy structure is central to how its published price is set and compared across countries.

Within the CTLA-4 checkpoint inhibitor class, Yervoy occupies a distinct mechanistic niche from PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, and combination regimens pairing it with a PD-1 inhibitor are evaluated by payers for their incremental benefit and added toxicity risk relative to single-agent therapy, which shapes how favourably any published price is judged. In Türkiye, TİTCK applies external reference pricing to biologics like Yervoy just as it does to oral oncology products: the published price tracks the lowest ex-factory price found across a defined basket of EU reference countries, converted using the fixed "pharmaceutical euro" (Dönemsel Avro Değeri) rather than the live market rate, as published on the TİTCK price list and gazetted in the Resmî Gazete.

Germany evaluates Yervoy under its AMNOG early-benefit-assessment framework, with free pricing permitted for the first months after launch followed by a negotiated price backdated to month seven. NICE in England applies its cost-per-QALY threshold, raised from the long-standing £20,000–£30,000 range to £25,000–£35,000, announced 1 December 2025 and effective from April 2026 (see NICE). The United States has no equivalent government reference mechanism: list prices are set largely freely by the manufacturer and negotiated privately with payers and pharmacy benefit managers, a pattern documented in the RAND international price comparison.

Because Yervoy is hospital-administered, often as part of a combination regimen, most institutions never pay the published reference price: they procure through tenders and confidential discount agreements that are not disclosed publicly, so the gap between list price and actual acquisition cost can be substantial and varies hospital by hospital. Every published comparison, including this one, should be read as a comparison of list prices rather than what any hospital or patient actually pays. For the underlying mechanics of Türkiye's published prices, see our explainer on why medicines cost less in Türkiye.

How is the price set in each country?

The table below compares pricing systems, not prices. Each country publishes — or does not publish — its own official list, and that published list is the only figure worth relying on. Follow the link in the last column and read the current entry yourself.

How can I obtain a medicine legally from a lower-price market?

There is a lawful route in most countries, and it starts in the same place everywhere: a valid prescription in your own name, issued by the physician treating you. What differs is the import permit. The procedures below are stated only where they could be verified at the national authority.

United Arab Emirates. MOHAP operates a permit to import medicines for personal use through its Electronic Drug Establishment service. The permit is free and is issued within 3 working days. You log in with a MOHAP account or UAE Pass.

Saudi Arabia. Applications run through the SFDA Controlled Drugs System at cds.sfda.gov.sa, under a guideline published on 14 August 2025. Read the current SFDA regulations page before you travel — the requirements are revised periodically.

Qatar. For non-controlled medicines there is no pre-approval: you may carry up to a 60-day supply through the Green Channel, in the original packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a signed, stamped letter from your doctor. For controlled medicines you need advance approval and must use the Red Channel; supporting documents must be no older than 6 months and in Arabic or English.

Kuwait and Azerbaijan. Confirm the current procedure directly with the national authority before shipping or travelling — Kuwait Ministry of Health and Azerbaijan Tariff Council. We do not publish a step list for these two countries because the procedure could not be verified at source.

1. United Arab Emirates — obtain a prescription in the applicant's own name, issued within the last 3 months.
2. Obtain a medical report from the treating facility, authenticated by the health authority and issued within the last year.
3. Prepare an Emirates ID or passport copy for the applicant.
4. Log in to the MOHAP service with a MOHAP account or UAE Pass and submit the personal-import application.
5. Keep the quantity within the limit: no more than a 1-month supply for controlled medicines, and no more than a 3-month supply for non-controlled medicines.
6. Wait for the decision — the service is free and normally issued within 3 working days.
7. Contact MOHAP on 800 111 11 or at import.export@mohap.gov.ae if the application stalls.

What is named patient supply?

Named patient supply is the international concept behind almost every lawful cross-border medicine route. The clearest codified example is the United Kingdom's MHRA Guidance Note 14, built on Regulation 167 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.

Four conditions define it: the order must be unsolicited; the product must be specified by the prescriber; the prescriber must be directly responsible for the patient; and there must be a genuine special clinical need that no authorised product meets.

The honesty point matters here: the European Court has held that "financial considerations cannot, in themselves" establish a special clinical need. A lower price in another country is not, by itself, a lawful basis for a named-patient import. The lawful bases are clinical.

Is the Yervoy I'm being offered genuine?

No falsified batches of Yervoy have been recorded in WHO's medical product alert series to date. That absence of a documented incident is not proof that any individual pack is genuine — it only means there is no public alert to cite, and every vial should still be verified on its own merits before it is ever infused.

Because Yervoy is frequently administered alongside nivolumab as a combination regimen in a hospital setting, verification should cover every component of that regimen where applicable, not just the ipilimumab vial — hospital pharmacy staff should check the outer carton, the vial label, the batch number and the cold-chain history for each drug before infusion begins.

• Confirm the outer carton and vial label match Bristol Myers Squibb's current product information for Yervoy, including strength, presentation and batch number printed identically on both.
• Before infusion, visually inspect the solution for particulate matter or discolouration; Yervoy should be a clear to slightly opalescent, colourless to pale yellow liquid.
• If given in combination with nivolumab, verify that the nivolumab vial is also checked for authenticity separately — a falsified combination partner undermines the whole treatment even if the ipilimumab vial is genuine.
• Scan the carton's GS1 DataMatrix and confirm it decodes to AI 01 (GTIN), AI 21 (serial number), AI 17 (expiry) and AI 10 (batch) matching the vial label exactly.
• If sourced in Türkiye, verify the karekod is registered on the national İlaç Takip Sistemi (İTS) track-and-trace system at its.saglik.gov.tr before administration.
• Ask for a continuous 2–8°C temperature log covering the actual shipment you are receiving, not a generic cold-chain certificate — Yervoy must never be frozen or shaken.
• Cross-check any batch you are uncertain about against our WHO falsified medicine alerts tracker and review our guide to checking that a medicine is genuine before the dose is administered.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Resmî Gazete — Beşeri Tıbbi Ürünlerin Fiyatlandırılmasına Dair Karar No. 11031 — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• TİTCK — published medicine price list — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• MOHAP (UAE) — import medicine for personal use — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• SFDA (Saudi Arabia) — regulations — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• SFDA Controlled Drugs System — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• Qatar MOPH — drug prices — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• Kuwait Ministry of Health — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• Azerbaijan Tariff Council (Tarif Şurası) — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• NICE (United Kingdom) — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• G-BA (Germany) — AMNOG benefit assessment — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• RAND — International prescription drug price comparisons (published 1 Feb 2024) — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• Frontiers in Pharmacology — European hospital price transparency study (9 Mar 2026) — retrieved: 2026-07-28
• MHRA Guidance Note 14 — supply of unlicensed medicinal products — retrieved: 2026-07-28

Country availability pages for this medicine

Related pages

Immune checkpoint inhibitors

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