Is Vandetanib currently available in China?

Vandetanib (), as an internationally recognized targeted anti-cancer drug, has long been approved for use in Europe, the United States and other countries. It is mainly used for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic medullary thyroid cancer (MTC; thyroid cancer). In foreign countries, it has been clinically used for more than ten years, and a large amount of efficacy and safety data have been accumulated. However, in China, the marketing progress of vandetanib is relatively lagging behind. As of now, vandetanib has not yet been officially approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) and therefore has not yet entered the domestic market.

The demand for targeted drugs in China's oncology field is growing, especially innovative treatments for rare diseases and rare tumors, and patients and doctors are paying close attention. Judging from the trends in recent years, China's approval efficiency of innovative drugs has been significantly improved. Some targeted drugs that took many years to introduce in the past, such as RET inhibitors and ALK inhibitors, have gradually entered the market at an accelerated pace. As an important inhibitor of RET-related pathways, vandetanib theoretically meets domestic unmet clinical needs, so it is more likely to be introduced in the future.

At present, if domestic patients need to use vandetanib, they can often only obtain it through overseas drug purchase channels, such as regular pharmacies in Hong Kong, Europe and the United States, or overseas medical channels. Although this method can solve the medication needs of some patients, it is expensive, has problems with drug circulation compliance, and is not conducive to large-scale clinical application. Therefore, the launch of vandetanib in China is still the common expectation of patients and clinicians.

From a policy perspective, the Chinese government has significantly increased its support for the introduction of rare disease drugs and innovative anti-cancer drugs in recent years, and some drugs can be quickly included in medical insurance negotiations after approval, thereby reducing the burden on patients.

Reference materials:https://www.drugs.com/caprelsa.html