Sunitinib
Sunitinib is an anti-angiogenic pill approved for pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, kidney cancer and GIST.
Phase 3 in pancreatic NETs (Raymond 2011): PFS 11.4 vs 5.5 months, stopped early for benefit. Largely displaced in RCC by immunotherapy combinations; still standard second-line in GIST.
1.Oral absorption; active metabolite SU12662
- Route
- Oral
- Schedule
- 37.5 mg daily continuously (pNET)
- Monitoring
- Blood pressure, thyroid, cardiac function
- Medicare
- Part D (self-administered)
Oral, self-administered, so it is a Part D drug: covered through a stand-alone Part D plan or Medicare Advantage drug benefit, usually on the specialty tier with 25 to 33% coinsurance until the annual cap ($2,000 in 2025, $2,100 in 2026). Generic sunitinib is available.
- Commercial insurance
- covered on label
Multi-source generic on low-cost tiers; usually no prior authorisation. Cash prices without insurance are modest. Plans require the generic.
Sources: Medicare.gov: Drug coverage (Part D) · Medicare.gov: Costs for Medicare drug coverage (annual out-of-pocket cap). Not medical or financial advice; verify with your plan.
- Appraised for
- First-line advanced or metastatic RCC
- Notes
- GIST after imatinib: TA179 (2009). Pancreatic NETs: TA449 (2017). Generic since 2022.
- NHS England
- Routinely funded for the appraised indication (or via managed access)
Sources: NICE TA169 · SMC advice: sunitinib. Funding decisions are indication-specific and change monthly; verify with NICE and your treating team.
Approvals
| Region | Year | Indication |
|---|---|---|
| US | 2006 | Advanced RCC; GIST after imatinib |
| US | 2011 | Progressive pancreatic NETs |
| US | 2006 | Advanced RCC; imatinib-resistant GIST |
| US | 2017 | Adjuvant RCC at high risk (S-TRAC), little used |
| Adverse event | Any grade | Grade 3+ |
|---|---|---|
| Diarrhoea | 59% | — |
| Nausea | 45% | — |
| Hypertension | 26% | 10% |
| Hand-foot syndrome | 23% | 6% |
| Fatigue | 60% | — |
| Diarrhoea | 55% | — |
| Hand-foot syndrome | 30% | — |
| Hypertension | 30% | — |
| Hypothyroidism | 25% | — |
Events listed without rates were not read from a primary source; see the label. Blank cells mean the figure was not sourced, not that it is zero.
Trials
topRecruiting now (live from ClinicalTrials.gov)
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Landmark trials in OnCo
Latest papers
topQuery for this drug: (TITLE:"Sunitinib" OR ABSTRACT:"Sunitinib" OR TITLE:"Sutent" OR ABSTRACT:"Sutent") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Sunitinib, not a curated reading list.