TL;DRAkeso’s ivonescimab reduced the risk of death by 34% in a phase three trial for squamous non-small cell lung cancer, with patients living nearly four months longer than those on the current standard therapy. The drug becomes the first Chinese-originated oncology treatment selected for ASCO’s plenary session in 61 years.
Akeso, the Chinese biotechnology company whose drug ivonescimab was dubbed “biotech’s DeepSeek moment” last year, has reported phase three clinical trial results showing a 34% reduction in the risk of death for patients with advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The data, filed with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Monday and selected for the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s plenary session, mark the first time in the society’s 61-year history that a China-originated investigational oncology drug has earned that distinction.
The trial, called HARMONi-6, enrolled 532 patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous NSCLC, roughly 92% of whom were in the late stages of the disease. Squamous cell lung cancer is strongly linked to smoking, accounting for 80% of cases in men and 90% in women, according to the US National Library of Medicine.
The numbers
