China-Only Trial Wins 1 of 5 Top ASCO Slots, Signaling Biotech Rise
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 30
China-Only Trial Wins 1 of 5 Top ASCO Slots, Signaling Biotech Rise
4 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 30
One of ASCO’s five marquee presentations this weekend in Chicago will feature a clinical trial run entirely in China, the first such headliner at the oncology meeting.
That breakthrough highlights how quickly China has turned its biotech sector from a minor player into a major source of cutting-edge cancer drugs and clinical testing.
U.S. doctors, executives and officials say the shift raises risks for American research, patients and biotech jobs, with concerns over losing control of new medicines.
The ASCO spotlight underscores a broader challenge to decades of U.S. and European dominance in drug development as China gains influence in oncology innovation.
Will the U.S.-China biotech rivalry accelerate cancer cures or create new barriers for patients?
China now sells unapproved therapies. How will this radical policy reshape the global drug market?
With massive investment linking them, can U.S. and Chinese biotech truly decouple for national security?
ASCO 2026 Plenary Breakthrough: Chinese Oncology Innovation Redefines Global Standards as Ivonescimab and Sacituzumab Tirumotecan Lead New Era
Overview
The 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting marks a historic milestone for Chinese oncology, as Akeso and Summit Therapeutics’ Ivonescimab becomes the first China-developed drug selected for a plenary session. This breakthrough highlights the rising global influence of Chinese pharmaceutical research. Experts are eagerly awaiting the overall survival data for Ivonescimab in advanced squamous non-small cell lung cancer, which could redefine treatment standards worldwide. Ivonescimab, a bispecific antibody targeting PD-1 and VEGF, exemplifies China’s rapid progress in innovative cancer therapies and signals a new era of global impact for Chinese biotech.