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.

CorrectSequence led the pack of Chinese cell and gene therapy developers seeking new funding with a roughly $14m series A-plus round. In other modalities, antibody-focused developers Mabgeek and Novamab closed series Bs.

The efforts add up to a new trend after Chinese pharma firms embarked on a quest to launch pivotal Phase II or III trials worldwide, especially in the US and Europe, over the past decade. Meanwhile, BeiGene, Hengrui and others are advancing late-stage programs in the US.

Akeso's CEO has highlighted favorable hazard ratio results for the Chinese biotech's anti-PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody ivonescimab in a head-to-head trial with Keytruda across Chinese NSCLC patients with positive PD-L1 expression in a first-line setting.

China's Duality Biologics, founded in 2020, has developed two-thirds of its clinical-stage antibody-drug conjugates by combining antibodies acquired from domestic peers with its proprietary linker-payload platform.

The nod will help unlock a national market for the partners’ Dupert (fulzerasib) in which roughly 50,000 people are expected to be newly diagnosed with lung cancer harboring the KRAS G12C mutation in 2025. Meanwhile, two other homegrown rivals are also closing in on marketing clearances in China.