AKESO's stock price surged 5.53% during intraday trading on Wednesday, following the release of encouraging clinical data for its flagship oncology drug.
The company presented patient-reported outcomes from its Phase III HARMONi-2 study at the ELCC 2026 conference, showing that its drug ivonescimab improved overall well-being and daily functioning compared to Merck's Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in first-line PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer. The data indicated better control of key lung cancer symptoms, including a sustained advantage in managing breathing-related complaints.
Akeso positioned these quality-of-life findings as supportive of broader uptake for ivonescimab, which has been marketed in China since 2025. The results build upon prior efficacy data from the same head-to-head study that showed ivonescimab outperforming Keytruda, strengthening the company's push to establish the therapy as a new standard of care in the competitive lung cancer treatment landscape.
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