Summit and Akeso report ivonescimab extends lung cancer survival by eight months versus Keytruda in Phase 3 trial

Summit Therapeutics and its partner Akeso said their experimental dual-target drug ivonescimab added about eight months of overall survival for patients with lung cancer compared with Merck's Keytruda in a Phase 3 trial.

The benefit was seen across the study population and was even larger in patients whose tumors expressed high levels of the proteins PD-1 and VEGF, the two targets of ivonescimab.

The data, presented from the HARMONi-2 trial, are the first late-stage results suggesting ivonescimab may outperform Keytruda in delaying disease progression or death, a finding that has drawn positive attention from investors.

Analysts, however, note that the trial was conducted in China and some remain cautious about how the results will translate to broader global markets.