Qinlock (ripretinib)
An approved treatment for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.
Drug facts
The same compound appears under different names depending on the context. Here is how to identify Ripretinib wherever you encounter it, plus the key facts at a glance.
- Generic name
- Ripretinib
- Brand name
- Qinlock
- Development code
- DCC-2618
- Drug class
- KIT and PDGFRA kinase inhibitor
- Manufacturer
- Deciphera Pharmaceuticals (part of Ono Pharmaceutical)
- How it's taken
- Oral tablet
A once-daily pill from Deciphera for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after 3 or more earlier kinase inhibitors, including imatinib. The FDA approved it on May 15, 2020. In the INVICTUS trial it held off tumor growth for a median of 6.3 months against 1 month on placebo.
We'll email you when Qinlock's FDA label changes, when the FDA acts on it, and when new trials for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor open. Unsubscribe anytime.
You'll get new recruiting trials, changes to trials, FDA decisions and condition news for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor. Turn any of these off from the link in every email.
We never share your email. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy policy · Check any health site
Where Ripretinib fits
For advanced GIST, imatinib is the usual first treatment, followed by sunitinib and then regorafenib. Qinlock is approved for the next step, after 3 or more kinase inhibitors including imatinib.
How Ripretinib works
Most GISTs grow because of a mutation in KIT or PDGFRA, proteins that tell the tumor cells to keep dividing. Imatinib and the drugs that usually follow it block those signals, but tumors often pick up new mutations that let the signal get through again. Ripretinib is built to hold KIT and PDGFRA in their switched-off shape across a broad range of those mutations, which is why it is used after other kinase inhibitors have stopped working. In lab tests it also blocks PDGFRB, TIE2, VEGFR2 and BRAF.
Side effects and safety
- Hand-foot skin reaction. Redness, swelling or pain on the palms and soles in 21% of people in INVICTUS; it is managed by pausing or lowering the dose.
- New skin cancers. Squamous cell skin cancer in 4.7% and melanoma in 2.4% of people in INVICTUS, so the skin is checked before starting and during treatment.
- High blood pressure. In 14% of people, including 7% with grade 3; treatment is not started if blood pressure is uncontrolled.
- Heart problems. Heart failure in 1.2% of people in INVICTUS; heart function is checked by scan before starting.
- Wound healing. Qinlock is stopped at least 1 week before planned surgery and not restarted for at least 2 weeks after major surgery.
- Sun sensitivity. Limiting sun and UV exposure is advised during treatment and for 1 week after.
- Pregnancy. Can harm an unborn baby; effective birth control is advised during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose.
- A skin check before starting and during treatment
- Blood pressure checks
- A heart scan (echocardiogram or MUGA) before starting and during treatment as needed
- A pregnancy test before starting for anyone who could become pregnant
In the INVICTUS trial, the most common side effects on Qinlock compared with placebo were hair loss (52% against 4.7%), fatigue (42% against 23%), nausea (39% against 12%), muscle pain (32% against 12%) and hand-foot skin reaction (21% against 0%). The label warns about hand-foot skin reaction, new skin cancers (squamous cell skin cancer in 4.7% and melanoma in 2.4% of people in INVICTUS), high blood pressure (14%), heart failure (1.2%), slow wound healing around surgery, and sun sensitivity.
It can harm an unborn baby: women who could become pregnant, and men with partners who could, are advised to use effective birth control during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose, and not to breastfeed during that time. There is no boxed warning.
This is not a complete list of side effects. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what to expect and when to seek medical attention.
Taking Ripretinib
Take 150mg by mouth once a day, which is 3 tablets of 50mg, with or without food and at the same time each day. Tablets are swallowed whole. If a dose is less than 8 hours late it can still be taken; after vomiting, no extra dose is taken. If side effects need it, the dose can be lowered to 100mg once a day. Treatment continues until the tumor grows or side effects become too hard to tolerate.
Availability and cost
Only available as the brand-name product.
Help paying for Qinlock
Drugmaker copay cards can't be used with Medicare, Medicaid or TRICARE, but charity funds often can. None of the 2 charity funds for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor were open on October 26, 2026. Pick your insurance below to see which offers fit you.
Good to know: Deciphera AccessPoint offers a case manager, insurance and coverage checks, out-of-pocket cost estimates, a copay program for commercially insured patients with an annual maximum, and help finding foundation funding or free medicine for eligible patients. Call 1-833-432-2237 (1-833-4DACCES), Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Eastern.
Charity funds for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
No charity fund for this condition is open right now. Funds reopen when they receive new donations; the foundations let you sign up to be told when one opens.
Every program and charity fund for Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor →
Clinical trial results
INVICTUS (NCT03353753) was an international Phase 3 trial that randomized 129 adults whose GIST had already been treated with imatinib, sunitinib and regorafenib, 85 to Qinlock and 44 to placebo. Median progression-free survival was 6.3 months on Qinlock against 1.0 month on placebo (hazard ratio 0.15). Tumors shrank in 9% of people on Qinlock and none on placebo, a difference that was not statistically significant.
Median overall survival was 15.1 months against 6.6 months, but the label says this was not formally tested, and 66% of people on placebo switched to Qinlock.
Development history
Deciphera discovered ripretinib under the code DCC-2618. The FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy, Fast Track and Priority Review and approved Qinlock on May 15, 2020 for advanced GIST after 3 or more kinase inhibitors. The European Commission approved it in November 2021. Ono Pharmaceutical acquired Deciphera in 2024.
Explore Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor trials
Other Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor treatments
Common questions about Ripretinib
▸What is Ripretinib (Qinlock)?
A once-daily pill from Deciphera for advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) after 3 or more earlier kinase inhibitors, including imatinib. The FDA approved it on May 15, 2020. In the INVICTUS trial it held off tumor growth for a median of 6.3 months against 1 month on placebo.
▸How does Ripretinib work?
Most GISTs grow because of a mutation in KIT or PDGFRA, proteins that tell the tumor cells to keep dividing. Imatinib and the drugs that usually follow it block those signals, but tumors often pick up new mutations that let the signal get through again. Ripretinib is built to hold KIT and PDGFRA in their switched-off shape across a broad range of those mutations, which is why it is used after other kinase inhibitors have stopped working. In lab tests it also blocks PDGFRB, TIE2, VEGFR2 and BRAF.
▸What are the side effects of Ripretinib?
In the INVICTUS trial, the most common side effects on Qinlock compared with placebo were hair loss (52% against 4.7%), fatigue (42% against 23%), nausea (39% against 12%), muscle pain (32% against 12%) and hand-foot skin reaction (21% against 0%). The label warns about hand-foot skin reaction, new skin cancers (squamous cell skin cancer in 4.7% and melanoma in 2.4% of people in INVICTUS), high blood pressure (14%), heart failure (1.2%), slow wound healing around surgery, and sun sensitivity. It can harm an unborn baby: women who could become pregnant, and men with partners who could, are advised to use effective birth control during treatment and for 1 week after the last dose, and not to breastfeed during that time. There is no boxed warning.
▸How is Ripretinib taken?
Take 150mg by mouth once a day, which is 3 tablets of 50mg, with or without food and at the same time each day. Tablets are swallowed whole. If a dose is less than 8 hours late it can still be taken; after vomiting, no extra dose is taken. If side effects need it, the dose can be lowered to 100mg once a day. Treatment continues until the tumor grows or side effects become too hard to tolerate.
▸Is Ripretinib FDA approved?
Yes, Ripretinib (Qinlock) is FDA approved (2020) for the treatment of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor.
▸What is Qinlock used for?
Qinlock (ripretinib) is FDA-approved for adults with advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) who have already been treated with 3 or more kinase inhibitors, including imatinib. In practice that usually means after imatinib, sunitinib and regorafenib.
▸How well did Qinlock work in the INVICTUS trial?
Median progression-free survival was 6.3 months on Qinlock against 1.0 month on placebo, meaning tumors stayed under control for longer. Tumors shrank in 9% of people on Qinlock, and the label notes the survival difference was not formally tested because most placebo patients later switched to Qinlock.
▸Does Qinlock cause hair loss?
Hair loss was the most common side effect in INVICTUS, reported by 52% of people on Qinlock against 4.7% on placebo. The label also lists fatigue, nausea, muscle pain and hand-foot skin reaction among the most common effects.
▸Is there a generic version of Qinlock?
No. Qinlock is the only ripretinib product on the FDA's list of approved drugs, and Deciphera AccessPoint (1-833-432-2237) helps with insurance and copay costs.
Sources and references
Every factual claim on this page is drawn from the public sources listed below. Click any reference to open the original document.
- U.S. National Library of Medicine, DailyMed · 2025-05. QINLOCK (ripretinib) tablets: Prescribing Information. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9f18e462-03dd-4296-a02a-a0577e3ee78d
- Deciphera Pharmaceuticals · 2020-05-15. FDA Grants Full Approval of Deciphera Pharmaceuticals' QINLOCK (ripretinib) for the Treatment of Fourth-Line Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor. https://www.deciphera.com/news/fda-grants-full-approval-deciphera-pharmaceuticals-qinlocktm-ripretinib-treatment-fourth-line
- Deciphera Pharmaceuticals · 2021-11. Deciphera Receives European Commission Approval of QINLOCK for the Treatment of Fourth-Line GIST. https://www.deciphera.com/news/deciphera-receives-european-commission-approval-qinlockr-treatment-fourth-line
- ClinicalTrials.gov. INVICTUS: A Study of DCC-2618 vs Placebo in Advanced GIST Patients Who Have Been Treated With Prior Anticancer Therapies. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03353753
- Deciphera Pharmaceuticals. Deciphera AccessPoint patient support. https://www.decipheraaccesspoint.com/