Ivonescimab Outshines Keytruda in Lung Cancer Trial

Akeso and Summit Therapeutics' experimental dual-acting cancer drug, ivonescimab, has shown promising results in a Phase 3 clinical trial for non-small cell lung cancer. The study found that patients who received ivonescimab lived about eight months longer than those who got Merck & Co.'s Keytruda.

The latest data, released at the World Conference on Lung Cancer meeting in South Korea, evaluated overall survival and demonstrated a benefit for ivonescimab. In the trial population broadly, the relative risk of death when taking ivonescimab was 27% lower than when taking Keytruda.

A smaller group of patients with high levels of PD-L1 protein also showed strong results, with a 42% reduction in the relative risk of death among those who got ivonescimab. This subgroup is typically treated with Keytruda as a single agent.