What is Eli Lilly’s Rs 2.15 lakh cancer drug Tanstrive and who can use it?
The drug targets rare RET gene alterations found in some lung, thyroid and other cancers. Here's what patients need to know
- Jun 26, 2026,
- Updated Jun 26, 2026 11:59 AM IST
Eli Lilly has launched Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India after receiving approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Priced at Rs 2.15 lakh per box, the prescription medicine is designed for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers driven by alterations in the RET gene, a rare but actionable genetic mutation.
The launch marks another step in the adoption of precision medicine in India, where doctors are increasingly using genomic testing to match patients with targeted cancer therapies instead of relying solely on conventional chemotherapy.
What is Tanstrive?
Tanstrive, or selpercatinib, is a targeted therapy that blocks abnormal signals from the RET gene that help cancer cells grow. Unlike conventional cancer treatments, the medicine is prescribed only for patients whose tumours test positive for RET gene alterations through molecular or genomic testing.
The oral drug is available in 40 mg, 80 mg, 120 mg and 160 mg tablet strengths and is taken twice daily.
Which patients are eligible?
The drug has been approved for adults with RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), adults and children aged two years and above with advanced medullary thyroid cancer carrying a RET mutation, patients with RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer that no longer responds to radioactive iodine, and certain other advanced solid tumours with RET gene fusion that have progressed despite earlier treatment or where no satisfactory treatment options are available.
How common are RET alterations?
RET alterations are relatively uncommon but are considered clinically important because they can be specifically targeted with medicines such as selpercatinib.
According to Lilly, RET gene fusions occur in around 1-2% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in India. RET alterations are also found in around 50 per cent of medullary thyroid cancers and 10-20 per cent of papillary thyroid cancers.
Why is genomic testing important?
"RET-altered cancers are driven by 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). "Routine, comprehensive genomic testing across a wide variety of tumour types is important to identify patients who may benefit from targeted therapies."
What has Lilly said?
"The launch of Tanstrive in India reflects our commitment to bringing evidence-based therapies to patients with RET-altered cancers, including those with limited treatment options across tumour types," said Winselow Tucker, President and General Manager, Eli Lilly and Company (India).
What does it mean for patients?
The launch adds another targeted therapy to India's oncology market at a time when precision medicine is becoming more widely adopted. However, access could remain a challenge. At Rs 2.15 lakh per box, affordability, insurance coverage, reimbursement and patient assistance programmes are likely to play an important role in determining how widely the treatment is used.
For oncologists, the approval also reinforces the growing role of biomarker testing in cancer care, with treatment decisions increasingly being guided by a patient's genetic profile rather than the location of the tumour alone.
Eli Lilly has launched Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India after receiving approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). Priced at Rs 2.15 lakh per box, the prescription medicine is designed for patients with advanced or metastatic cancers driven by alterations in the RET gene, a rare but actionable genetic mutation.
The launch marks another step in the adoption of precision medicine in India, where doctors are increasingly using genomic testing to match patients with targeted cancer therapies instead of relying solely on conventional chemotherapy.
What is Tanstrive?
Tanstrive, or selpercatinib, is a targeted therapy that blocks abnormal signals from the RET gene that help cancer cells grow. Unlike conventional cancer treatments, the medicine is prescribed only for patients whose tumours test positive for RET gene alterations through molecular or genomic testing.
The oral drug is available in 40 mg, 80 mg, 120 mg and 160 mg tablet strengths and is taken twice daily.
Which patients are eligible?
The drug has been approved for adults with RET fusion-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), adults and children aged two years and above with advanced medullary thyroid cancer carrying a RET mutation, patients with RET fusion-positive thyroid cancer that no longer responds to radioactive iodine, and certain other advanced solid tumours with RET gene fusion that have progressed despite earlier treatment or where no satisfactory treatment options are available.
How common are RET alterations?
RET alterations are relatively uncommon but are considered clinically important because they can be specifically targeted with medicines such as selpercatinib.
According to Lilly, RET gene fusions occur in around 1-2% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in India. RET alterations are also found in around 50 per cent of medullary thyroid cancers and 10-20 per cent of papillary thyroid cancers.
Why is genomic testing important?
"RET-altered cancers are driven by 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). "Routine, comprehensive genomic testing across a wide variety of tumour types is important to identify patients who may benefit from targeted therapies."
What has Lilly said?
"The launch of Tanstrive in India reflects our commitment to bringing evidence-based therapies to patients with RET-altered cancers, including those with limited treatment options across tumour types," said Winselow Tucker, President and General Manager, Eli Lilly and Company (India).
What does it mean for patients?
The launch adds another targeted therapy to India's oncology market at a time when precision medicine is becoming more widely adopted. However, access could remain a challenge. At Rs 2.15 lakh per box, affordability, insurance coverage, reimbursement and patient assistance programmes are likely to play an important role in determining how widely the treatment is used.
For oncologists, the approval also reinforces the growing role of biomarker testing in cancer care, with treatment decisions increasingly being guided by a patient's genetic profile rather than the location of the tumour alone.