Akeso's ivonescimab shows survival advantage over Keytruda in Chinese lung cancer trial

A new data cut from a study comparing ivonescimab, a bispecific antibody from China-based Akeso, with Merck's Keytruda in patients with non-small cell lung cancer was released.

The interim results indicated that patients receiving ivonescimab lived longer than those treated with Keytruda, suggesting a potential survival benefit for the experimental drug.

Akeso and its U.S. partner Summit Therapeutics have not disclosed the full dataset, and the findings will be presented at an upcoming lung-cancer conference. The U.S. FDA will require data from a global trial, expected in 2028, before considering approval.