Hengrui Medicine has launched revelutamide (SHR3680; trade name: Erion), China’s homegrown innovative androgen receptor (AR) inhibitor, for the treatment of metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) with high tumor burden. The drug received conditional market approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in June 2022 and was first prescribed at Fudan University Affiliated Cancer Hospital in Shanghai.
Nationwide Availability
On the same day, experts in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, Jinan, Changsha, Guiyang, and other cities issued the first local prescriptions. Patients can access revelutamide through direct-to-patient pharmacies nationwide with a valid prescription.
Drug Profile
Revelutamide is a second-generation AR inhibitor with stronger inhibitory effects and no agonistic activity compared to first-generation AR inhibitors. Supported by the National “Thirteenth Five-Year Plan” Major New Drug Creation Project in 2018, the drug addresses the growing need for advanced prostate cancer treatments in China.
Prostate Cancer Context
Prostate cancer incidence in China has risen significantly, with new cases increasing from ~60,000 in 2015 to ~115,000 in 2020, according to the World Health Organization. Revelutamide’s launch underscores efforts to combat this trend.-Fineline Info & Tech
