Akeso Cancer Drug Extends Lung Cancer Survival More Than Keytruda; Ivonescimab Draws Attention

A bispecific cancer drug developed by China’s Akeso extended survival in patients with lung cancer more than Merck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda, according to new data.

Akeso and its U.S. licensing partner Summit Therapeutics said a new data cutoff from a clinical trial in patients with non-small cell lung cancer showed that ivonescimab provided a survival benefit compared with Keytruda, BioPharma Dive reported on the 3rd.

However, the companies did not disclose the full results. The complete data set is expected to be presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer, which begins later this month.

This trial is not expected to serve as the primary basis for U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The FDA requires results from a global clinical trial, which are expected in 2028.

Like Keytruda, ivonescimab inhibits the immune-evasion protein PD-1, while also blocking vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is essential for tumor growth.

Extending overall survival in this monotherapy trial is considered an important milestone. It suggests the possibility that the same effect could be seen in future head-to-head trials against PD-1 inhibitors such as Keytruda.

Tyler Van Buren, an analyst at TD Cowen, said the monotherapy data reduce the risk associated with the global trial of ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy. Results from that trial are expected late this year or early next year.

David Dai, an analyst at UBS, forecast that the full data presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer will show that ivonescimab reduces the relative risk of death by about 24%.

Summit shares rose as much as 14% intraday, while Akeso shares closed up 3% in Hong Kong.