ESMO Congress 2026

ESMO 2026 Chinese Orals: Dual TKI Improves MET-Amplified Resistance, CS2009 and Ivonescimab Report NSCLC and Thymic Carcinoma Data

Three Chinese-led oral presentations at ESMO 2026 updated data on MET-amplification resistance, NSCLC, and thymic carcinoma. A dual-TKI regimen significantly improved PFS in a randomized phase 3 study: NCT06110663 randomized 314 patients, with IRC-assessed mPFS of 6.2 vs 4.4 months, HR 0.601, P<0.001. CS2009 showed a preliminary ORR/DCR of 81.3%/100% in the evaluable first-line PD-L1 TPS≥50% population.

Safety and Preliminary Antitumor Activity of Ivonescimab Plus Pemetrexed and Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Efficacy and Safety of Ivonescimab Plus Pemetrexed and Platinum-Based Chemotherapy in Advanced Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Disc’s redemption, China’s rise, Veradermics’ validation, ESMO’s headliners

Hype vs. reality: What pharma’s hottest R&D bets have actually proved

HARMONi-2 Shows Positive OS for Ivonescimab in First-Line PD-L1-Positive NSCLC

At the 2026 WCLC, the HARMONi-2 study presented updated overall survival data for ivonescimab versus pembrolizumab as first-line treatment for PD-L1-positive advanced NSCLC, showing a median OS of 30.8 months and a statistically significant, clinically meaningful positive OS result. Professor Chu Qian's interpretation noted consistent benefit across subgroups, with median OS exceeding three years in patients with high PD-L1 expression.

A Clinical Study of Ivonescimab in Combination With Cadonilimab or Ipilimumab for Advanced Renal Cancer

Akeso to raise about HK$1.94 billion in share placement as ivonescimab takes on PD-1

Akeso (09926.HK) plans to place 20 million new shares at HK$97.76 each, a 6.90% discount to the previous close, through Morgan Stanley Asia to at least six placees. The placement would raise about HK$1.955 billion gross and HK$1.941 billion net. The company's bispecific antibody ivonescimab is positioned to challenge PD-1 inhibitors as first-line standard treatment in lung cancer.

Ivonescimab Beats Pembrolizumab on Overall Survival in Frontline PD-L1-Positive Advanced Lung Cancer

Ivonescimab, Akesu's bispecific antibody, beat pembrolizumab head-to-head as first-line monotherapy in PD-L1-positive advanced lung cancer, with median overall survival of 30.8 months versus 22.6 months. The risk of death fell 27 percent, with P value 0.009, a statistically significant result presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Pembrolizumab, long the world's top-selling drug at 31.68 billion dollars a year, now faces a direct survival challenge.

A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Efficacy of SYS6088 in Patients With Advanced/Metastatic Solid Tumors

A Phase II Study of Ivonescimab in Combination With GEMOX as Neoadjuvant and Conversion Therapy for Biliary Tract Cancer

AstraZeneca Bets $2 Billion on Ivonescimab to Find a Next-Generation Partner for ADCs

AstraZeneca has placed a $2 billion bet on ivonescimab, aiming to find a next-generation partner for its ADCs. The deal centers on ivonescimab and is intended to strengthen its pipeline positioning in ADC combination therapy.

Fierce Pharma Asia—AZ’s $2B bet on ivonescimab; Novo buys Hengrui GLP-1; Merck doubles down on KRAS - Fierce Pharma

AstraZeneca deepens Summit ties on ADC-bispecific cancer combo testing pact

AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo have signed a deal with Summit Therapeutics to test their ADC Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan) alongside Summit's PD-1 x VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab in several tumour types, starting with a Phase III study in frontline triple-negative breast cancer. Daiichi and Summit will share trial costs, and each keeps rights to its own medicine. The pact follows AstraZeneca's $2bn equity investment in Summit for an estimated 12% stake and a separate deal on the CLDN18.2-targeting ADC sonesitatug vedotin combined with ivonescimab; ivonescimab is under US regulatory review in NSCLC with a PDUFA date of 14 November.

5 FDA decisions to watch in the fourth quarter of 2026

BioPharma Dive rounds up five FDA decisions to watch in the fourth quarter of 2026, including Summit and Akeso's PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab, Roche's giredestrant, and anito-cel.

AstraZeneca Takes $2 Billion Stake of About 12% in Summit Therapeutics

AstraZeneca will invest $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics by subscribing to convertible preferred shares, giving it about 12% of the company after conversion. Alongside the equity stake, announced September 28, the two firms signed a binding clinical collaboration combining Sone-Ve with Ivonescimab in GI tumors, plus a non-binding MOU to explore pairing Ivonescimab with more of AstraZeneca's ADC portfolio.

AstraZeneca Takes $2 Billion Stake in Summit, Ivonescimab Overseas Rights Holder

AstraZeneca invested $2 billion in convertible preferred shares of Summit, the holder of overseas rights to Akeso's PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab, taking roughly a 12% stake. The deal, disclosed on September 28, 2026, gives AstraZeneca no rights to the drug itself but makes it the sponsor of clinical trials combining ivonescimab with its own ADC. Summit shares rose about 18% after hours and Akeso's Hong Kong shares gained more than 15% the next day.

AstraZeneca Takes $2 Billion Stake in Summit for ADC Plus Ivonescimab Collaboration

AstraZeneca is taking a $2 billion equity stake in Summit and has signed a clinical collaboration to evaluate sonesitatug vedotin combined with ivonescimab in certain gastrointestinal cancers, with studies planned to start as soon as possible. The companies also signed a memorandum of understanding to explore combinations of ivonescimab with a range of AstraZeneca ADCs and other oncology drugs.

AstraZeneca Invests Up to $2 Billion in Summit, Pairing Sone-Ve ADC With Ivonescimab

AstraZeneca has secured rights to Summit Therapeutics' PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab in a deal worth up to $2 billion. The companies will also run a clinical collaboration to evaluate sonesitatug vedotin (Sone-Ve) in combination with ivonescimab. Summit shares rose 17% in premarket trading on the news.

AstraZeneca Invests 2 Billion Dollars in Summit, Overseas Partner for Akeso's Ivonescimab

AstraZeneca has invested 2 billion US dollars for a stake in Summit, the overseas partner for Akeso's product ivonescimab. The deal sent Akeso's shares up more than 13% and lifted the broader innovative-drug sector in Hong Kong.

AstraZeneca to Invest $2 Billion in Summit to Co-develop PD-1/VEGF Bispecific Ivonescimab

AstraZeneca and Summit have agreed a $2 billion equity investment in convertible preferred shares, equating to $18.36 per common share at conversion, above the closing price at the time. The deal concerns ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody being studied in multiple late-stage trials worldwide, including international multicentre registrational studies led by Summit. The companies will collaborate on developing the drug, with conversion of the preferred shares to follow.

AstraZeneca Invests $2 Billion in Summit Therapeutics to Advance Ivonescimab-ADC Combinations

AstraZeneca and Summit Therapeutics have agreed a collaboration under which AstraZeneca will buy preferred shares in Summit for roughly $2 billion, giving it about 12.0% of Summit's issued equity. The deal supports joint development of ivonescimab in combination with AstraZeneca's antibody-drug conjugates. No development timelines were given.

AstraZeneca Pays $2 Billion for 12% of Summit Therapeutics to Back Ivonescimab

AstraZeneca will invest $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics for a 12% stake, buying convertible preferred shares at $18.36 each, an 18.6% premium to the September 28 closing price of $15.48. The deal backs ivonescimab, a bispecific antibody originating in China that is positioned to challenge Merck's Keytruda, and provides fresh funding for Summit. The investment marks full endorsement of the drug by a multinational pharma company.

AstraZeneca buys into Summit, UniQure drops on 4-year data, FDA on a roll

AstraZeneca is investing $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics in an all-stock deal to support Phase 3 trials of ivonescimab, the PD-1/VEGF bispecific partnered with Akeso. Four-year data from uniQure's Phase 1/2 trial of its Huntington's disease gene therapy showed a 44% slowing of disease progression, down sharply from 75% at three years, sending shares down nearly 40%. FDA approvals have been active recently, with AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Merck and Mirum Pharmaceuticals all winning approvals in the past week.

Summit snags $2B investment from AstraZeneca, clearing financial overhang

AstraZeneca is investing $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics through a direct equity purchase of about 109,000 preferred shares, giving it roughly 12% of Summit's common shares at $18.36 per share, a 10% premium. The deal, expected to close within a week pending regulatory clearances, lifts Summit's cash to an estimated $2.5 billion and leaves it holding full rights to ivonescimab, the PD-1/VEGF bispecific, in its territories. The partners will also start trials pairing AstraZeneca's anti-CLDN18.2 ADC sonesitatug vedotin with ivonescimab in gastrointestinal cancers, while the FDA decides Summit's BLA for the NSCLC drug by Nov. 14.

AstraZeneca invests $2B in Summit, gaining ‘seat at the table’ for PD-1/VEGF drug push

AstraZeneca will invest $2 billion in Summit Therapeutics by buying about 109,000 shares of convertible preferred stock, giving it roughly 12% ownership, or about 10.6% fully diluted. The companies will jointly test Summit's PD-1/VEGF drug ivonescimab with AstraZeneca medicines, starting with the ADC "Sone-Ve" in gastrointestinal tumors, and will share development costs while retaining rights to their own drugs. Ionescimab previously halved the risk of progression or death versus Keytruda in a Phase 3 lung cancer study, and the partnership may expand to further combinations.

Ivonescimab Beats Pembrolizumab on Overall Survival in Frontline PD-L1-Positive Advanced NSCLC

Ivonescimab extended median overall survival to 30.8 months versus 22.6 months for pembrolizumab in first-line treatment of PD-L1-positive (TPS ≥1%) advanced non-small cell lung cancer, cutting the risk of death by 27%. Data presented by Caicun Zhou of Shanghai East Hospital at the 2024 WCLC make ivonescimab the first drug to beat pembrolizumab head-to-head in a phase 3 trial with positive results on both progression-free and overall survival.

Ivonescimab Reaches 16.9-Month PFS After Third-Generation EGFR-TKI Resistance in NSCLC

Ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, delivered a median progression-free survival of 16.9 months in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC whose disease progressed on third-generation EGFR-TKI treatment, compared with 4-5 months for traditional chemotherapy in this setting. China's NMPA has approved it for this population, giving third-generation EGFR-TKI-resistant disease a new treatment standard.

Ivonescimab Beats Pembrolizumab on Overall Survival in HARMONi-2 Trial

Ivonescimab, Akesu Bio's PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, beat pembrolizumab as first-line monotherapy in PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer in the HARMONi-2 trial. Median overall survival was 30.8 months versus 22.6 months with pembrolizumab, HR=0.73, P=0.009, presented by Professor Zhou Caicun at the WCLC presidential symposium. It is the first drug to beat pembrolizumab in a randomized controlled trial on two endpoints.

Fierce Pharma Asia—China deals safe from COINS?; Key WCLC data; Legend’s new CEO

Reuters reports that COINS rules being drafted by the U.S. Treasury Department are expected not to affect most licensing deals by Chinese drugmakers. WCLC26 highlights include data on ivonescimab from Akeso and Summit, B7-H3 ADCs, and an unexpected negative overall survival trend for Enhertu. Legend has named a new CEO.