Eli Lilly and Company India has announced the launch of Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India, following marketing authorisation from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) for patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with a rearranged during transfection (RET) gene.
Tanstrive (selpercatinib) is designed to selectively target RET alterations and block the abnormal signalling pathways that drive tumour growth. As an oral therapy administered twice daily, Tanstrive (selpercatinib) offers a targeted treatment approach for eligible patients whose cancers are driven by RET alterations. By targeting the underlying molecular drivers of disease, Tanstrive (selpercatinib) supports precision treatment based on biomarker identification and has demonstrated rapid and durable responses, including meaningful activity in patients with central nervous system (CNS) involvement.1
Tanstrive (selpercatinib) is a prescription medicine used to treat certain cancers caused by abnormal RET genes in:
Adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a rearranged during transfection (RET) gene fusion.
Adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC)with a RET mutation, who require systemic therapy.
Adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with advanced or metastatic thyroid cancer with a RET gene fusion, who require systemic therapy and who are radioactive iodine-refractory (if radioactive iodine is appropriate).
Adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with a RET gene fusion that have progressed on or following prior systemic treatment or who have no satisfactory alternative treatment options.
“For over 150 years, Lilly has been committed to advancing scientific innovation and improving patient outcomes through the discovery and delivery of transformative medicines,” said Winselow Tucker, president and general manager, Eli Lilly and Company (India). “The launch of Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India reflects our commitment to bringing innovative, evidence-based therapies to patients with RET-altered cancers, including those with limited treatment options across tumour types. As precision oncology continues to reshape cancer care, Tanstrive represents an important step forward—expanding access to targeted therapies for patients in India.”
“RET-altered cancers are driven by specific, identifiable genetic alterations, and patients need treatment designed to act on those underlying drivers,” said Dr Rahul Kapur, senior director, medical, Eli Lilly and Company (India).
“As the first and only selective RET inhibitor approved in India for RET-altered solid tumors regardless of tumor type, Tanstrive (selpercatinib) is designed to target the molecular drivers of these cancers directly — offering a precision, biomarker-guided option with demonstrated rapid and durable responses, including activity in patients with central nervous system involvement. This underscores the importance of routine, comprehensive genomic testing for patients across a variety of tumor types.”
RET alterations are rare but clinically actionable genetic drivers that can promote tumour growth across multiple cancer types, including NSCLC, thyroid cancers and certain solid tumors. RET gene fusions are found in approximately 1–2% of patients with NSCLC in India, representing a small but important subset of patients who may benefit from biomarker-guided treatment approaches. RET alterations are observed in less than 1% of all tumour types overall but are particularly relevant in thyroid cancers, including approximately 50% of medullary thyroid cancers and 10–20% of papillary thyroid cancers.
