The first targeted drug in China for treating relapsed or refractory FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia, “gigetinib,” was launched in Boao Lecheng – People’s Daily Online Hainan Channel

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The successful implementation of giretinib in Lecheng not only signifies the accelerating pace of Lecheng Pilot Zone’s innovation in pharmaceuticals, keeping pace with international advanced levels, but also reflects Lecheng’s continuous innovation and breakthroughs, aligning domestic systems and rules with international standards, providing advanced solutions for the health of the Chinese people, and playing a positive role in forming a sound economic development pattern with the domestic economic cycle as the mainstay and the domestic and international cycles mutually reinforcing each other.

To better serve AML patients, Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital has introduced the globally innovative drug XOSPATA, making it available at its Lecheng branch. This is the first drug for treating acute myeloid leukemia to be used in the Lecheng pilot zone, and also the first leukemia patient treated there. The patient, Ms. Huang, is an FLT3-ITD mutation-positive acute myeloid leukemia patient. After standard first-line and second-line treatments, she failed to achieve deep remission and quickly relapsed. According to the 2020 NCCN and 2020 CSCO guidelines, an FLT3 inhibitor was required.

XOSPATA (generic name in Chinese: gefitinib) is a globally innovative drug introduced to China for AML patients. It belongs to the second-generation FLT3 inhibitors. Compared with the first-generation drugs, it has a better activation structure and specifically binds to FLT3-ITD antibodies, effectively inhibiting the proliferation of leukemia cells and thus exerting an anti-tumor effect. Therefore, gefitinib was chosen as the first-line targeted therapy for this patient.

If the condition is alleviated, stem cell transplantation can be performed to control the primary disease, thereby achieving a better quality of life. It is understood that after the Provincial People’s Hospital begins preliminary operations at the Boao Future Hospital (formerly Hainan Boao Ruida Medisel International Medical Center) in the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone, it will strive to achieve four major goals: First, to establish a highly skilled medical team primarily focused on critical care, providing medical support to various institutions within the zone;

Second, make full use of the policies of the Lecheng Medical Pilot Zone and appropriately carry out clinical applications and research in combination with the clinical needs of patients in Hainan Province; Third, build a medical technology innovation platform and explore connections with domestic and foreign medical and research institutions by utilizing new policy channels in the Lecheng Pilot Zone; Fourth, initially build and explore real-world data research.

On November 2, with the joint support of the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, the Hainan Provincial Drug Administration, and the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration, XOSPATA (generic name: gilteritinib), a globally innovative drug that has been approved in the United States, Japan, and Europe for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory FLT3-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML), was officially introduced to the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.