China’s Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd. (SHA: 600276) announced the prescription of its Category 1 drug Ruitanning (fosrolapitant, palonosetron) at the Institute of Hematology & Oncology, Harbin First Hospital. The drug was administered to a hematologic cancer patient undergoing highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC), marking its official entry into clinical practice.
Drug Approval and Profile
Ruitanning was approved in China in May 2025 for preventing acute and delayed nausea and vomiting in adult patients receiving HEC. As China’s first home-grown ultra-long-acting, dual-target antiemetic injection, it combines fosrolapitant, a novel ultra-long-acting NK-1 receptor antagonist, and palonosetron, the only second-generation 5-HT3 receptor antagonist. This dual-action mechanism simultaneously blocks NK-1 and 5-HT3 receptors, suppressing the vomiting reflex through dual pathways.
Clinical Advantages
Thanks to fosrolapitant’s ultra-long half-life of nearly 8 days, a single dose per chemotherapy cycle is sufficient to cover acute, delayed, and extended-delayed phases of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).
Clinical Trial Results
In the Phase III clinical trial conducted prior to approval, the combination of fosrolapitant, palonosetron, and dexamethasone (DEX) demonstrated over 90% complete response (CR) rates in preventing HEC-induced nausea and vomiting during the acute phase (0–24 hours post-chemotherapy) and extended-delayed phase (120–168 hours post-chemotherapy), along with a favorable safety profile.-Fineline Info & Tech
