Is Elunate the same as Fruzaqla?

They contain the same active ingredient, fruquintinib, discovered by HUTCHMED. Elunate is the brand used in China, where Eli Lilly holds the rights in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, while Fruzaqla is the brand Takeda sells in the U.S., Europe and other countries.

Elunate is made by HUTCHMED (China) Limited, which discovered and developed fruquintinib, and it was launched in China together with Eli Lilly and Company.

When was Elunate approved?

China's NMPA approved it in September 2018, and it went on sale in China in late November 2018. HUTCHMED describes it as the first China-discovered and developed medicine for a mainstream cancer indication to receive full approval in China.

Is Elunate chemotherapy?

No. It is a targeted oral treatment (a kinase inhibitor) that blocks the blood-vessel signals tumours rely on, rather than a chemotherapy drug that kills dividing cells.

How much longer did patients live in the studies?

In the FRESCO trial in China, median survival was 9.3 months with fruquintinib versus 6.6 months with placebo. In the international FRESCO-2 trial it was 7.4 versus 4.8 months. It doesn't cure the cancer, but it can add time for people who have run out of standard options.

How do I take Elunate?

The usual dose is one 5 mg capsule once a day for 3 weeks, then 1 week off, repeated every 4 weeks. Take it with or without food at about the same time each day and swallow it whole.

What if I miss a dose or vomit after taking it?

If fewer than 12 hours have passed, take the missed dose; if not, skip it and carry on the next day. Never take two doses in one day, and if you vomit after a dose, don't repeat it.

What are the most common side effects?

The ones seen in at least 1 in 5 patients were high blood pressure, hand-foot skin reaction, protein in the urine, a hoarse voice, stomach pain, diarrhoea and weakness or tiredness.

Why does my blood pressure need checking so often?

Because nearly half of patients develop high blood pressure, usually in the first few weeks. Weekly checks in the first month mean it can be treated early with blood pressure medicine before it becomes dangerous.

Can I have surgery while taking Elunate?

It should be stopped at least 2 weeks before planned major surgery and restarted only after at least 2 weeks and once the wound has healed, because it can slow healing.

Can I take Elunate if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding?

No. It can harm an unborn baby, so effective contraception is needed during treatment and for 2 weeks afterwards, by women and by men with a partner who could become pregnant. Breastfeeding should also stop for that period.

How should Elunate be stored?

Follow the storage instructions printed on your Elunate pack. For comparison, the U.S. label for the same medicine (Fruzaqla) says to store the capsules at 20°C to 25°C, with short periods between 15°C and 30°C allowed.

How can patients in India get Elunate?

Elunate can be imported legally in the patient's name through a Named Patient Program on an oncologist's prescription. The Elunate price in India depends on the number of packs and the import costs, so we share a written quotation once we have the prescription.

Why buy Elunate through Named Patient Program rather than an online seller?

Cancer medicines sold through unregulated websites can be fake, expired or badly stored, and you can't tell by looking. We source only through authorised channels, with full import paperwork and batch traceability, so you know exactly what you're receiving.

Where does this information come from?

Brand and approval details come from HUTCHMED's official product page and press releases. Medical facts about fruquintinib come from the U.S. FDA prescribing information for Fruzaqla (revised July 2026) on DailyMed.

Buy Elunate Capsules: Price, Cost & Availability in India

What Is Elunate Used For?

Elunate is a once-a-day capsule for bowel (colorectal) cancer that has spread and kept growing after the standard chemotherapy drugs have been tried. Its active ingredient is fruquintinib. It was discovered and developed in China by HUTCHMED, and Elunate is the brand name used in mainland China and Macau.

Approved Use

According to HUTCHMED, Elunate is indicated for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have already been treated with fluoropyrimidine, oxaliplatin and irinotecan, including patients who have previously received an anti-VEGF therapy and/or an anti-EGFR therapy (if their tumour is RAS wild type).

Approval History

China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved fruquintinib in September 2018, and Elunate was launched in China in late November 2018 together with HUTCHMED's partner Eli Lilly and Company. It was added to China's National Reimbursement Drug List in January 2020 and approved for sale in Macau in March 2022. Outside China, the same medicine is sold by Takeda as Fruzaqla, which the U.S. FDA approved in November 2023 and the European Commission in June 2024.

How Fruquintinib Works

A tumour can't grow much without its own blood supply, and it builds new blood vessels by sending signals through receptors called VEGFR-1, -2 and -3. Fruquintinib blocks all three of these receptors, which cuts off much of the tumour's ability to grow new vessels and slows its growth.

What the Studies Showed

Elunate's approval in China was based on the FRESCO trial, which enrolled 416 patients in China whose colorectal cancer had progressed after chemotherapy. People taking fruquintinib lived a median of 9.3 months, compared with 6.6 months for those on placebo. A later international trial, FRESCO-2, tested the same medicine in 691 patients who had already received nearly every available treatment, including trifluridine/tipiracil or regorafenib; median survival was 7.4 months with fruquintinib against 4.8 months with placebo. Both trials are summarised in the U.S. prescribing information for Fruzaqla.

Recommended Dosage

The usual dose is 5 mg taken by mouth once a day for the first 21 days of each 28-day cycle, followed by 7 days off. It can be taken with or without food, at about the same time each day, and the capsule should be swallowed whole. If a dose is missed, it can still be taken if less than 12 hours have passed; otherwise skip it, and never take two doses on the same day. If you vomit after a dose, don't take another one; just continue with the next scheduled dose. Your oncology team may lower the dose if side effects become hard to manage.

If you'd like to understand the disease and the treatments that usually come before fruquintinib, our guide to later-line options for advanced colorectal cancer explains them in plain language.

Elunate Warnings and Precautions

High blood pressure: this is the most common serious effect. In 911 patients treated with fruquintinib it affected 49%, with severe (grade 3–4) readings in 19%, usually starting about two weeks into treatment. Blood pressure should be under control before starting, checked weekly for the first month and at least monthly after that.
Bleeding: 6% of patients had bleeding in the stomach or bowel, and a small number of bleeds were severe or fatal. If you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, your INR needs close monitoring. Contact your doctor for any unusual, severe or persistent bleeding or bruising, or if you feel lightheaded.
Infections: across three placebo-controlled trials, infections were more common with fruquintinib than with placebo (18% versus 12%), most often urinary infections, chest infections and pneumonia. Report fever or chills promptly.
Tear in the bowel wall (gastrointestinal perforation): this happened in 1.3% of patients. Contact a doctor immediately if you get severe stomach pain.
Liver effects: liver enzymes rose in 48% of patients, severely in 5%. Liver blood tests are done before starting and regularly during treatment.
Protein in the urine: seen in 36% of patients, so urine is tested before and during treatment.
Hand-foot skin reaction: redness, soreness or blistering of the palms and soles affected 35% of patients. Depending on how severe it is, the dose may be paused or lowered.
Rare brain swelling (PRES): seen in one patient in 911. Seizures, severe headache, vision changes or confusion should be reported immediately.
Wound healing and surgery: fruquintinib can slow healing, so it is stopped at least 2 weeks before major surgery and not restarted for at least 2 weeks afterwards, until the wound has healed.
Blood clots in arteries: these occurred in 0.8% of patients. Tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack, stroke or blood clot, as the studies excluded people with such events in the previous 6 months.
Pregnancy: fruquintinib can harm an unborn baby. Women who could become pregnant, and men with a partner who could, should use effective contraception during treatment and for 2 weeks after the last dose. Breastfeeding is not advised during treatment and for 2 weeks after.
Other medicines: strong CYP3A inducers, such as rifampin (rifampicin), can lower fruquintinib levels and should be avoided. Always give your oncologist a full list of the medicines you take.

How to Access Elunate in India: A 6-Step Process

Step 1 – Search & request your medicine: The patient or treating doctor submits a request with basic details to initiate the access process.

Step 2 – Verification & eligibility review: The team verifies availability and reviews eligibility against regulatory and clinical requirements to ensure a compliant pathway.

Step 3 – Receive quote & delivery timeline: A transparent quotation is shared, covering medicine cost, logistics, and a clear delivery timeline.

Step 4 – Regulatory approval process: Assistance is provided to secure the approvals and documentation required for legal cross-border access.

Step 5 – Import & handling: The medicine is sourced and transported under strict GDP-compliant conditions to maintain product integrity.

Step 6 – Secure delivery: The medicine is delivered to the patient or treating hospital, with updates provided at each stage.

Access This Process Easily via Our App

You can manage the entire process seamlessly through the Named Patient Program App, available on both the Play Store and App Store.

Track your medicine request in real-time
Upload documents and approvals
View quotations and timelines
Get status updates at every step

You can also access detailed information by clicking Online Order in the website header. On mobile, open the hamburger menu (☰) and tap Online Order from the dropdown to get started.

Documentation & Availability

What documents are required to import ELUNATE to India?

ELUNATE (fruquintinib) capsules may be imported in the patient's name only, by patients or government hospitals. The following documentation is required:

A valid prescription from a qualified medical oncologist
The patient's diagnostic reports (histopathology, staging, RAS/biomarker status, and details of prior chemotherapy lines)
Patient ID proof (issued by the Government of India)

How is the order confirmed?

The order is confirmed only after receipt and verification of a valid prescription from the doctor and, if applicable, an import permit.

Is ELUNATE available in India?

ELUNATE (fruquintinib capsules) is a prescription medicine that legally requires a doctor's prescription to be dispensed. As of current publicly available information, ELUNATE is not commercially marketed in India.

However, patients in India can legally access ELUNATE through the Named Patient Program (NPP) — an import provision that allows a medicine not yet registered in India to be imported in the name of an individual patient, on the prescription of their treating physician.

NamedPatientProgram.com (NPP) acts as a facilitator under named patient supply, providing input on:

Availability of Elunate in India and pathways to access it
Availability in Gulf countries (Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE)
Elunate price in India under the NPP route
Sourcing from genuine, reliable channels in China, the USA, Europe, Singapore, Canada, and Australia
Ensuring full transparency throughout the process

ELUNATE can be made available to patients, doctors, and hospitals across major cities in India, including Gurgaon, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Hyderabad, Mysore, Kerala, Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Jaipur, Udaipur, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Chandigarh, Mohali, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad, Kochi, Trivandrum, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kannur, Mangalore, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Ranchi, Raipur, Guwahati, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Goa, Jammu, Srinagar, Dehradun, Bhopal, Indore, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and others — and can facilitate delivery to the patient's treating hospital. Orders are confirmed only upon receipt of a valid doctor's prescription and, where applicable, an import permit.

Related Brand

Elunate is the brand name for fruquintinib used in China. The same active ingredient is marketed in the US and EU as Fruzaqla.

Sourcing & Delivery of Elunate

NamedPatientProgram.com (NPP) can source Elunate from reliable global manufacturers and qualified pharmaceutical supply channels and facilitate supply to patients, doctors, and hospitals under applicable legal provisions. Elunate is an oral capsule that is stable at controlled room temperature and does not require cold-chain refrigeration, but it is still transported and stored under validated, GDP-compliant conditions, kept dry and away from moisture, to protect product integrity.

All prescriptions are dispensed and checked by registered pharmacists and dispatched from New Delhi, India, after legal requirements are fulfilled.

For Elunate cost in India and availability, contact NPP via WhatsApp at +91 98104 69557 | Toll-Free: 1800-1200-365 or email info@namedpatientprogram.com.

Availability of Elunate Across Major Cities in India

Patients across India can access Elunate® through regulated import pathways, with delivery arranged to the treating hospital based on a valid oncologist's prescription.

Mumbai: A major oncology hub with institutions like Tata Memorial, Mumbai, sees demand for advanced GI oncology therapies like Elunate® in patients with previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer.

Bangalore: With a growing network of multispecialty hospitals, Bangalore supports access to global oncology treatments through structured import pathways guided by treating specialists.

Delhi: As part of the Delhi NCR region, the city has a strong concentration of cancer centers and gastrointestinal oncology specialists, making it a key location for accessing advanced imported therapies.

Gurgaon: Home to leading hospitals like Medanta, Gurgaon plays an important role in facilitating access to innovative oncology treatments through coordinated care pathways.

Noida: With proximity to Delhi and access to top hospitals, Noida patients benefit from streamlined logistics and specialist-driven treatment planning.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad's advanced healthcare infrastructure and oncology expertise support patients seeking access to internationally approved cancer therapies.

Chennai: Known for its established medical ecosystem, Chennai attracts patients from across India for complex colorectal cancer treatments and specialized drug access.

Kolkata: A key eastern healthcare hub, Kolkata offers access to advanced oncology care through leading hospitals and treatment centers.

Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad's expanding healthcare sector and oncology facilities support patients requiring advanced and imported cancer therapies.

Pune: With reputed hospitals and a growing cancer care infrastructure, Pune is an emerging center for access to specialized oncology treatments.

Chandigarh: Serving North India, Chandigarh provides access to advanced medical care through reputed institutions and specialist-led treatment planning.

Jaipur: Jaipur's improving healthcare network enables patients to explore access to innovative cancer therapies through structured import processes.

Lucknow: As a major city in North India, Lucknow supports access to advanced oncology treatments through both public and private healthcare institutions.

Indore: Indore is emerging as a regional healthcare hub, offering access to specialized cancer care and modern treatment pathways.

Bhopal: Patients in Bhopal can access advanced cancer treatments through the growing healthcare infrastructure and referral networks.

Nagpur: Nagpur serves as a central hub for patients across Vidarbha, with increasing access to oncology care and specialized therapies.

Surat: Surat's developing healthcare ecosystem supports patients seeking access to global oncology treatments through coordinated care.

Patna: As a major city in Eastern India, Patna provides growing access to cancer treatment through expanding hospital networks.

Coimbatore: Coimbatore is known for quality healthcare services, offering access to advanced oncology treatments in South India.

Kochi: With modern hospitals and specialist care, Kochi enables patients to explore access to internationally approved cancer therapies.

Note: Access timelines may vary depending on documentation, regulatory approvals, and sourcing logistics.

Access/Buy Elunate® at Leading Hospitals in India

Elunate® is typically used in advanced gastrointestinal oncology settings and can be accessed at leading hospitals across India, where specialists guide treatment decisions and coordinate patient-specific access pathways.

Major Hospitals Covered:

Tata Memorial Centre: One of India's premier cancer institutes, Tata Memorial plays a key role in treating complex colorectal cancer cases and guiding patients toward advanced therapies like Elunate®.

AIIMS: As a leading government medical institution, AIIMS provides comprehensive cancer care and supports patients requiring access to specialized and emerging treatments.

Apollo Hospitals: With a nationwide presence, Apollo Hospitals offers advanced oncology services and facilitates access to global treatment options through its extensive medical network.

Fortis Healthcare: Fortis hospitals are equipped with modern cancer care facilities and multidisciplinary teams that manage complex treatment pathways for patients.

Max Healthcare: Max Healthcare is known for its strong oncology and gastrointestinal cancer departments, providing access to innovative therapies under expert clinical supervision.

Manipal Hospitals: Manipal Hospitals supports advanced cancer care through experienced specialists and structured treatment planning across multiple cities.

Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital: A leading private hospital in Mumbai, Kokilaben Hospital offers cutting-edge oncology care and access to advanced global therapies.

Medanta – The Medicity: Medanta is a renowned super-specialty hospital where complex colorectal cancer cases are managed with advanced treatment protocols and global access support.

Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute: A dedicated cancer care center, RGCI focuses on advanced oncology treatments and supports patients through complex treatment journeys.

HCG Cancer Centre: HCG is a specialized cancer hospital network known for its focus on precision oncology and advanced treatment modalities.

Narayana Health: Narayana Health combines affordability with advanced medical care, offering oncology services across multiple locations in India.

Amrita Hospital: Amrita Hospital provides high-quality cancer care with a focus on patient-centric treatment and access to modern therapies.

Yashoda Hospitals: Yashoda Hospitals are known for their strong oncology departments and advanced treatment infrastructure in South India.

Sir Ganga Ram Hospital: A well-established hospital in Delhi, Sir Ganga Ram provides multidisciplinary cancer care supported by experienced specialists.

CARE Hospitals: CARE Hospitals provide modern oncology treatment facilities and multidisciplinary care across multiple cities.

Note: Elunate® is not stocked for direct purchase but is arranged through compliant import processes and delivered to the hospital for patient-specific treatment.

For Healthcare Professionals

Elunate