Overview
- Eli Lilly announced the commercial launch of Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India on Thursday after CDSCO granted marketing authorisation, making the drug immediately available to patients.
- Tanstrive is an oral therapy taken twice daily and comes in 40 mg, 80 mg, 120 mg and 160 mg tablets sold in a 14-day box priced at Rs 2.15 lakh.
- The approval covers adults and children age two and older with RET-altered cancers, including RET-fusion non‑small cell lung cancer, RET-mutant medullary thyroid cancer, and certain other RET-fusion solid tumours.
- Eli Lilly says clinical data show rapid, durable responses and meaningful activity in patients with central nervous system involvement, which supports its use across tumour types when a RET alteration is present.
- Because RET alterations are uncommon, estimated at about 1–2% of NSCLC and under 1% of all tumours, wider patient benefit depends on routine, comprehensive genomic testing and on whether payers or assistance programmes address the drug’s high cost.