Is Anamorelin undergoing clinical research in China?

Anamorelin (Anamorelin) is an innovative drug developed by Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. of Japan. It is mainly used in the treatment of cancer cachexia. The drug promotes appetite, improves weight and muscle mass by activating the ghrelin receptor, thereby helping patients with advanced cancer improve their nutritional status and physical fitness. Multiple overseas clinical studies have confirmed its application potential in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, gastric cancer, and pancreatic cancer. However, anamorelin has not yet been approved for marketing in mainland China, nor has it been included in the approval list of the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). This means that if domestic patients need to use it, they can only rely on overseas channels or international pharmacies to purchase it.

According to public information, some cancer centers and research institutions in China have launched preliminary clinical observations or cooperative studies on anamorelin, but these are mostly scientific research in nature and have not yet entered the registration phase III trial stage. Its main research directions focus on cancerous weight loss, nutritional support for advanced lung cancer, and weight management related to chemotherapy. Due to the novel target mechanism of anamorelin and its good safety profile, the industry generally believes that it is expected to conduct larger-scale clinical trials in China in the future, especially when used in combination with nutritional intervention and rehabilitation medicine in comprehensive treatment plans, it may become an important breakthrough in the supportive treatment of tumors.

Compared with Europe and the United States, Japan was the first country in the world to approve anamulin. Since Japan approved its marketing in 2015, the drug has been widely used in tumor nutritional therapy. The Chinese medical community is also continuing to pay attention to its clinical effects and long-term safety. Since 2024, some domestic pharmaceutical companies have publicly expressed their intention to introduce it and plan to promote local registration and trials of anamulin in the next few years, which is a milestone in the field of cancer cachexia treatment.

Reference materials:https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4677053/