Eli Lilly and Company India Pvt Ltd has launched Tanstrive (selpercatinib) in India, for patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors with a rearranged during transfection (RET) gene alteration. An oral therapy administered twice daily, Tanstrive offers a targeted treatment approach for eligible patients whose cancers are driven by RET alterations, a note from the American healthcare company said. The prescription drug is priced at ₹2.15 lakh for a box, that covers a two-week treatment regimen, a person familiar with the details told businessline. The drug selectively targets RET alterations and blocks the abnormal signalling pathways that drives the tumour growth, Lilly said. By targeting the underlying molecular drivers of the disease, the drug 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, the company said.Systemic TreatmentRET alterations are rare but clinically actionable genetic drivers that can promote tumour growth across multiple cancer types, including NSCLC, thyroid cancers and certain solid tumours, the company said. “RET gene fusions are found in approximately 1–2 per cent 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 per cent of all tumour types overall but are particularly relevant in thyroid cancers, including approximately 50 percent of medullary thyroid cancers and 10–20 percent of papillary thyroid cancers,” it added.Tanstrive is 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); and 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, the company said.Biomarker-guidedWinselow Tucker, President and General Manager, Eli Lilly and Company (India), pointed out that as precision oncology continues to reshape cancer care, Tanstrive was a step towards 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 tumours regardless of tumour 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 wide variety of tumour types,” he added.Published on June 25, 2026