Akeso's Ivonescimab Crushes Durvalumab in Biliary Tract Cancer Trial

Akeso's shares surged after the company announced positive results from a Phase III clinical trial of its drug ivonescimab in combination with chemotherapy for advanced biliary tract cancer.

The study compared ivonescimab to AstraZeneca's durvalumab, currently recommended as the first-line immunotherapy regimen for BTC. The results showed that ivonescimab outperformed durvalumab with statistical significance and meaningful clinical benefit.

This is a significant milestone for ivonescimab, which has already shown groundbreaking clinical value in lung cancer indications. Developed by Akeso, the drug secured Chinese regulatory approval for lung cancer and its US marketing application remains under review.

The study's control arm used durvalumab combined with chemotherapy, which saw global sales jump 29% to $6.1 billion last year. Ivonescimab is a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody that challenges the market position of PD-L1 monoclonal antibodies.