News

Eli Lilly Has Launched Tanstrive in India — The Country's First Selective RET Inhibitor for Lung, Thyroid, and Other Cancers With RET Gene Alterations

By Darshan S, Editor · 06 July,2026 · 2 min read

Darshan S, Editor — Eli Lilly Has Launched Tanstrive in India — The Country's First Selective RET Inhibitor for Lung, Thyroid, and Other Cancers With RET Gene Alterations

Summary

  • Eli Lilly Launches Tanstrive in India: India's First RET Inhibitor for RET-Altered Lung, Thyroid, and Solid Tumour Cancers
  • Eli Lilly has launched Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India — the country's first selective RET inhibitor for RET-altered solid tumours including NSCLC, medullary thyroid cancer, and other cancers with RET mutations or fusions.

"As precision oncology continues to reshape cancer care, Tanstrive represents an important step forward — expanding access to targeted therapies for patients in India. Tanstrive is the first and only selective RET inhibitor approved in India for RET-altered solid tumours irrespective of tumour type, offering a targeted treatment option designed to address the underlying molecular drivers of cancer."

Eli Lilly and Company India has launched Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India following marketing authorisation from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, making it the first and only selective RET inhibitor approved in India — a precision oncology therapy targeting cancers driven by alterations in the RET (rearranged during transfection) gene. The launch marks a significant expansion in India's access to tumour-agnostic precision cancer therapies: Tanstrive is indicated for RET-altered solid tumours regardless of tumour type, not just specific cancer locations.

Tanstrive is approved in India across three specific indications. The first is adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer harbouring a RET gene fusion — a subgroup of NSCLC that represents approximately 1-2% of cases in India but, given India's large NSCLC patient population, translates to thousands of patients annually who could benefit from RET-targeted therapy rather than conventional chemotherapy. The second is adult and paediatric patients (aged 2 years and older) with advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer carrying a RET mutation requiring systemic therapy. The third is adult and paediatric patients with advanced thyroid cancer with a RET gene fusion that is refractory to radioactive iodine treatment.

What Selpercatinib Does and Why RET Matters

Tanstrive works as a selective RET inhibitor — a molecularly targeted therapy that specifically blocks the abnormal RET kinase signalling pathway that drives cancer cell growth in patients whose tumours carry RET alterations. RET alterations occur through two distinct mechanisms: RET gene fusions (chromosomal rearrangements that place the RET kinase domain under the control of a different gene's promoter, causing constant, unregulated kinase activation) and RET point mutations (single nucleotide changes in the RET gene coding sequence that produce constitutively active kinase proteins).

The clinical significance of selectively targeting RET rather than using broader-spectrum kinase inhibitors is that selpercatinib specifically inhibits the abnormal RET signalling with minimal off-target effects — improving the therapeutic index (the ratio of effective dose to toxic dose) compared to non-selective multi-kinase inhibitors. The drug has demonstrated rapid and durable clinical responses in clinical trials, including meaningful activity in patients with central nervous system involvement — an important clinical feature because lung and thyroid cancers commonly metastasise to the brain, creating a clinical challenge that many targeted therapies do not adequately address due to limited CNS penetration.

The Precision Oncology Context

Tanstrive's India launch is part of a broader acceleration in India's access to tumour-agnostic precision oncology. The concept of tumour-agnostic therapy — where treatment decisions are guided by the molecular characteristics of the tumour rather than its anatomical site of origin — has been reshaping oncology globally since the FDA's first approval of a tumour-agnostic therapy in 2017. India's regulatory approvals of tumour-agnostic therapies have historically lagged behind global approvals, but the CDSCO's authorisation of Tanstrive signals continued progress in bringing genomically defined precision therapies to Indian oncology practice.

Dr Rahul Kapur, Senior Director for Medical Affairs at Eli Lilly India, highlighted the growing role of comprehensive genomic testing in identifying patients who may benefit from precision therapies: RET-altered cancers are driven by identifiable genetic changes that require targeted treatment strategies. Tanstrive is the first and only selective RET inhibitor approved in India for RET-altered solid tumours irrespective of tumour type, highlighting the growing importance of comprehensive genomic testing in identifying patients who may benefit from targeted approaches.

The Affordability and Access Reality

Tanstrive is priced at Rs 2.15 lakh per box, with each pack covering a 14-day treatment regimen — translating to approximately Rs 4.3 lakh per month of continuous therapy. At this price point, access will depend significantly on insurance coverage, reimbursement under government health programmes, and patient assistance programmes from Eli Lilly. The therapy's indications — advanced NSCLC and thyroid cancer — typically involve patients who have already progressed on or failed standard therapies, creating a population with significant unmet need and potentially strong motivation to seek access through multiple financing pathways.

The genomic testing requirement introduces an additional access dimension: only patients who have comprehensive genomic profiling to identify RET fusions or mutations can be selected for Tanstrive therapy. Expanding access to molecular testing infrastructure — particularly outside India's major metro hospitals where full next-generation sequencing panels are available — will be a determinant of how widely the therapy reaches the patients who need it.

"BHC Perspective"

At Bengaluru Health Community, Eli Lilly's Tanstrive launch is a precision oncology story that directly reflects the growing importance of genomic testing infrastructure in India's cancer care ecosystem. For BHC founders in genomic testing, cancer diagnostics, or precision oncology technology — every new targeted therapy launch that requires molecular testing as a prerequisite is an expansion of the market for your products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Tanstrive and what does it treat?
A: Tanstrive (selpercatinib) is a selective RET inhibitor launched in India by Eli Lilly following CDSCO approval. Approved for: (1) NSCLC with RET gene fusion, (2) medullary thyroid cancer with RET mutation, and (3) radioactive iodine-refractory thyroid cancer with RET gene fusion — across adult and paediatric patients as applicable.

Q: What is a RET inhibitor?
A: A molecularly targeted therapy that specifically blocks the abnormal RET kinase signalling pathway driving cancer growth in tumours with RET gene alterations (fusions or mutations). Selpercatinib selectively inhibits RET with high potency and minimal off-target effects, demonstrating durable responses including CNS activity.

Q: What is the price?
A: Rs 2.15 lakh per box (14-day supply) — approximately Rs 4.3 lakh/month for continuous therapy. Access will depend on insurance coverage, government reimbursement, and patient assistance programmes. Requires comprehensive genomic testing to identify RET-altered patients.