Akeso and Summit’s Keytruda-Topping Results in NSCLC Generate Significant Interest at ASCO

1. Akeso and Summit's Trial Success: Akeso and Summit Therapeutics' bispecific antibody ivonescimab has shown statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) over Keytruda monotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a phase 3 trial.
2. Dual Mechanism: Ivonescimab binds to both PD-1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) proteins, potentially providing a higher expression in tumor tissue and the tumor microenvironment compared to normal tissue.
3. Impressive Results: The study demonstrated a 56.5% overall response rate and a 75% response rate at the highest dose, with benefits seen across multiple subgroups.
4. Market Impact: Summit's stock skyrocketed roughly 270% after the trial results were announced, though it fell about 21% the following day.
5. Future Plans: The partners plan to present their findings at a major medical conference later this year and are testing ivonescimab in several other head-to-head settings.
6. Merck's Perspective: The reaction from Merck, the manufacturer of Keytruda, has not been explicitly stated, but the results have generated significant interest at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference.