Eli Lilly’s Rs 2.15 lakh cancer pill enters India: Will precision oncology widen the equity gap?

For India’s healthcare providers and policymakers, the arrival of a potent targeted cancer drug at over Rs 15,000 per day isn’t just a clinical update—it’s a pressure test. With Ayushman Bharat and other public schemes still grappling with how to fund high-cost oncology, Tanstrive’s launch highlights the growing tension between cutting-edge precision medicine and the reality of out-of-pocket expenditure that drives 60% of Indian healthcare spending.

Eli Lilly has officially brought its targeted RET inhibitor Tanstrive (selpercatinib) to India, priced at Rs 2.15 lakh (approximately $2,600) per box for a 14-day oral regimen. The launch, following marketing authorization from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), marks a significant step in making precision oncology accessible to Indian patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors harboring RET gene alterations.

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Eli Lilly has officially brought its targeted RET inhibitor Tanstrive (selpercatinib) to India, priced at Rs 2.15 lakh (approximately $2,600) per box for a 14-day oral regimen.

RET fusions and mutations are oncogenic drivers found in a subset of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), medullary thyroid cancer, and other solid tumors. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, therapies like Tanstrive directly target these aberrant proteins, often yielding higher response rates and a more favorable safety profile. In the global market, selpercatinib (branded Retevmo in the U.S.) has demonstrated strong efficacy, with pivotal LIBRETTO-001 data showing a 64% objective response rate in RET fusion-positive NSCLC and durable responses in thyroid cancers. Its introduction in India aligns with the broader adoption of molecular testing and personalized therapy, though the road to routine genomic profiling remains uneven across the country.