AstraZeneca has agreed to buy preferred shares in Summit for an equivalent of $2 billion, a move that puts the spotlight on Ivonescimab – the world’s first PD‑1/VEGF bispecific antibody developed by China’s Akeso and licensed to Summit. The drug just released overall‑survival data that outperformed Merck’s Keytruda in a head‑to‑head trial, giving investors a strong signal of future market share. At the same time, Chinese oncology research is dominating the upcoming 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress in Madrid. A record 28 Chinese studies have been selected as Late‑Breaking Abstracts, with four slated for plenary oral presentations – about one‑third of the core sessions. The abstracts cover hot areas such as EGFR‑TKI‑resistant lung cancer, HER2‑low breast cancer and CLDN18.2‑positive gastric cancer, highlighting the rise of ADCs and bispecific antibodies from Chinese firms. In regulatory news, Baili Tianheng’s bispecific ADC Lenconidenmab has been added to China’s priority review list for patients with advanced non‑small‑cell lung cancer who have failed EGFR‑TKI therapy. Financially, China’s A‑share innovative‑drug sector posted strong H1 2026 results: revenue jumped 32.5% to 62.1 billion RMB, net profit rose to 13.2 billion RMB, and gross margins stayed above 87%. Lower expense ratios and robust cash flow suggest the sector is entering a mature, profitable phase, boosting the outlook for related stocks.
Read moreAt the recent World Lung Cancer Conference, a wave of exciting news came from pharmaceutical firms based in Shanghai’s Pudong district. International giant AstraZeneca unveiled fresh results for its lung‑cancer drug Tagrisso (osimertinib). In a large Phase III study, patients with early‑stage, EGFR‑mutated lung cancer who took Tagrisso lived, on average, eight years longer than those on a placebo – the longest survival ever reported for this type of cancer. Chinese innovators were in the spotlight, too. Hansoh Pharmaceutical presented its home‑grown antibody‑drug conjugate, ruikanglifuotamab, which targets a protein called B7‑H3. Early data from a Phase III trial showed promise for patients whose small‑cell lung cancer keeps coming back. These advances illustrate a shift: Chinese researchers are moving from simply joining global studies to leading them, often teaming up with multinational partners on cutting‑edge treatments like ADCs and bispecific antibodies. Beyond lung cancer, Pudong also celebrated a first for gout care. The nation’s inaugural human‑engineered anti‑IL‑1β antibody, anfuliqitumab, received its first prescription at Fudan University’s Huashan Hospital, offering a new option for adults who can’t tolerate standard anti‑inflammatory drugs. Together, these milestones show how fast‑moving research in Pudong is turning lab discoveries into real‑world relief for patients across China.
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