Akeso Inc. and Summit Therapeutics plc’s ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, bested Merck & Co., Inc.’s anti-PD-1 blockbuster Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line monotherapy in certain PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, cutting the risk of disease progression or death by 49% in the China-only Phase III HARMONi-2 clinical trial.
Akeso/Summit’s Bispecific Ivonescimab Bests Keytruda In 1L NSCLC
China-Only Study But Big Implications?
Ivonescimab has shown significant and "extremely commercially meaningful" improvements in progression-free survival versus Keytruda as a first-line therapy for lung cancer in a trial in China, potentially positioning it as a new chemo-free solution for all PD-L1-positive patients in this setting.
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RemeGen is planning to complete enrolment in the global Phase III RemeMG study with telitacicept in generalized myasthenia gravis by the end of 2025 or early 2026. The Chinese firm has already sidelined two other global Phase III trials with the molecule to prioritize the indication.
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UK pharma will invest $2.5bn in Beijing R&D hub, build a vaccine manufacturing site with BioKangtai, and partner in chronic disease with Syneron and in oncology/immunology with Harbour BioMed.
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While diverging from partner Merck & Co. in its study dosage of sacituzumab tirumotecan, Kelun has garnered the world’s first approval, in China, for a TROP2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, for the treatment of lung cancer.
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Chinese biotech TYK Medicines says its EGFR inhibitor outperformed AstraZeneca’s same-class blockbuster Tagrisso in a pivotal Phase II trial for first-line use in brain metastases resulting from EGFR mutation-positive non-small cell lung cancer.
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Heads of Novartis Biomedical, World Economic Forum and Indian majors like Sun Pharma’s SPARC, among others, discuss generative AI in drug discovery along with pointers for India to leapfrog the R&D process
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Lilly’s Mounjaro arrives in India, with the 2.5mg vial priced at under $41 in a market that has over 100 million diabetics and increasing obesity rates. Will the product see sharp demand like in China, carving out a chunk of the pie ahead of the potential arrival of semaglutide generics and could there be concerns of ‘suitcase' exports?
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South Korea's LigaChem is kickstarting a growth and globalization drive through a potential future acquisition of UK ADC player IKSUDA.