Cancer drugs approved in China but not in the US
Some new cancer medicines are approved by China's regulator (NMPA) years before — or instead of — the US FDA. The list below covers drugs where we could confirm the China approval and the current US status. It is not a complete list.
Talk to your own doctor first. CAR-T and the drugs below are for specific cancers at specific stages, have serious possible side effects, and need close follow-up. Whether any of them fits you can only be decided by specialists who see your records. This page lists approvals and prices; it does not say how well any treatment works for you.
| Drug | Type | Status in China | Status in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivonescimab 依沃西单抗 Akeso | PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody | First approved by NMPA in May 2024; three lung cancer (NSCLC) approvals in China, the latest in August 2026[1] | Not FDA-approved. FDA decision date: November 14, 2026[2] |
| Cadonilimab 卡度尼利单抗 Akeso | PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody | Approved in China in June 2022 for relapsed or metastatic cervical cancer[3] | Not FDA-approved; FDA cleared a Phase 3 gastric cancer trial in December 2025[4] |
| Disitamab vedotin 维迪西妥单抗 RemeGen | HER2 antibody-drug conjugate | First approved in China in June 2021 for gastric cancer[5] | Not FDA-approved; has FDA breakthrough therapy designation for HER2-positive urothelial cancer[5] |
| Sintilimab 信迪利单抗 Innovent | PD-1 antibody | Approved in China for several solid and blood cancers[6] | Not FDA-approved; the FDA issued a Complete Response Letter in March 2022[6] |
| Camrelizumab 卡瑞利珠单抗 Jiangsu Hengrui | PD-1 antibody | Approved in China for several cancers[7] | Not FDA-approved (with rivoceranib for liver cancer: third Complete Response Letter July 2026; new FDA date April 9, 2027)[7] |
| Satricabtagene autoleucel (CAR-T) 舒瑞基奥仑赛 CARsgen Therapeutics | Claudin18.2 CAR-T cell therapy | Approved June 22, 2026 for Claudin18.2-positive, HER2-negative advanced gastric cancer after two or more lines of therapy[8] | Not approved in the US; first CAR-T approved anywhere for a solid tumor[8] |
US status checked Nov 7, 2026. FDA decisions can change this list at any time — the ivonescimab decision is due November 14, 2026.
China also approved 10 CAR-T therapies
Most of China's 10 approved CAR-T products are not available in the US. See CAR-T therapy in China.
Before you plan a trip
- Ask your oncologist at home for a written summary and recent scans, and whether the drug's approved use in China matches your diagnosis and treatment history.
- Contact a hospital's international department with your records; ask whether the drug is available there, the full cost, and how long you need to stay.
- Drugs that are not approved in your home country may not be available there for follow-up doses. Ask in advance how ongoing treatment and monitoring would work after you go home.
- Medical treatment is not among the purposes officially listed for visa-free entry or 240-hour transit. If you are travelling mainly for planned treatment, ask a Chinese embassy or visa center which visa to apply for before you book.
Hospitals with international departments · Visa-free checker
Sources
Last verified: Nov 7, 2026. We re-check official pages regularly; rules and prices can change without notice. How we update
- Ivonescimab approved in China by NMPA for first-line squamous NSCLC (third China approval; not approved by any other regulator) — Summit Therapeutics (press release), published Aug 2026. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- FDA accepts ivonescimab BLA with November 14, 2026 PDUFA date — Yahoo Finance, published Jan 2026. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- Akeso news: cadonilimab (approved in China for cervical cancer, 2022) — Akeso, Inc.. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- FDA OKs Phase 3 cadonilimab/chemo trial in HER2-negative gastric cancer — CancerNetwork. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- Disitamab vedotin granted FDA breakthrough therapy designation in bladder cancer — Urology Times. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- Lilly announces Complete Response Letter for sintilimab (first-line nonsquamous NSCLC) — Eli Lilly and Company, published Mar 24, 2022. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- FDA sets PDUFA date for rivoceranib/camrelizumab resubmission after third CRL in unresectable HCC — CancerNetwork. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
- 全球首款实体瘤CAR-T细胞治疗产品在中国获批上市 (World's first solid-tumor CAR-T approved in China) — The Paper, published Jun 22, 2026. Checked Nov 7, 2026.
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