Akeso Stock Surges on Positive Phase III Lung Cancer Drug Data

Shares of Akeso Inc. (HK:9926) surged in Hong Kong trading after the biopharmaceutical company announced positive results from a major study for its cancer drug, ivonescimab. The stock climbed nearly 5.0% to HK$94.8, significantly outperforming the broader Hang Seng index, which fell 0.5%.

Key Trial Results

Akeso released full quantitative data from its Phase III HARMONi-2 study at the 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul. The results showed its bispecific antibody, ivonescimab, delivered a superior survival benefit for patients with PD-L1-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) compared to the established treatment, pembrolizumab.

Key findings from the study include:

• Median Overall Survival: 30.8 months for patients treated with ivonescimab, versus 22.6 months for those on pembrolizumab.
• Risk Reduction: This represents a 27% reduction in the risk of death for the ivonescimab group, a clinically significant improvement.

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Regulatory Catalyst and Analyst Outlook

Investor optimism is further supported by a near-term regulatory catalyst in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Akeso's Biologics License Application (BLA) for ivonescimab in a related NSCLC indication. The agency has set a PDUFA target action date of November 14, 2026, which investors are closely watching.

The positive data also reinforces a bullish analyst environment. In recent weeks, several financial institutions, including UBS, CICC, SDIC Securities, and Daiwa, have reaffirmed "Buy" ratings on Akeso stock, according to Investing.com.