Will This Chinese Biotech Revolutionize Cancer Treatment?

• Akeso, from China, unveiled to the world of biotech Ivonescimab—an advanced lung carcinoma model that outperformed Merck’s Keytruda in clinical trials.
• The big implication here: China’s entry and influence in global pharmaceutical innovation is challenging Western supremacy.

China is no stranger to innovation, but lately, the nation has been in the headlines not just for tech. Less heard of is that a biotechnology firm called Akeso has stunned the pharmaceutical world with a new drug for lung cancer, which, so far, has proved more effective than the renowned cancer industry player Keytruda by Merck.

A Surprising Break

For a while, Akeso was more or less unknown in the public domain. However, in September, it came up with findings from clinical trials in China that specifically showed that the drug made by Akeso, Ivonescimab, has been thriving against Keytruda (Merck’s contribution in sales, anywhere around $130 billion).

This is quite laudable, with 11.1 months for ivonescimab and 5.8 months for Keytruda’s average time before tumour growth to its formal implementation at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (IASLC), as the sensation has spread through the air of the medical community.

Stocks Soar, Direction Focuses on China

In due time, Summit Therapeutics, Akeso’s US partner, had shares that more than doubled in a couple of days. Summit holds the rights to distribute Ivonescimab across North America and Europe, which implies that this Chinese innovation is on its way to aiding patients worldwide.

First, the news did not have much impact or attention, albeit within the biotech sector. But after DeepSee, a working member of China’s technology industry, generated shock earlier this year. More scrutiny was paid to China’s innovators. Now news regarding breakthroughs such as those by Akeso, once important merely to cancer patients themselves, is an actual concern for the pharmaceutical industry globally.

How Did Akeso Get a Grip on This?

Akeso’s triumph did not come overnight. Being founded nearly a decade ago, the company has been spinning the wheels of scientific progress in silence, capitalising on the mushrooming development environment of the Chinese landscape and a deep pool of local talent.

CEO of Akeso, Michelle Xia, believes this is still the beginning: “I do believe the Chinese biotech industry will play an important role globally. And we [will] participate more and more,” she said in a recent interview with CNN.

Akeso credits herself, in equal measure, with a deep appreciation and understanding of disease biology and protein engineering. Let’s not forget the catalysing force of China’s biotech industry, accelerated by active government support, huge reserves of foreign investment, and a substantial group of elite-class scientists.

China’s Biotech Revolution

The rise of Akeso is thus part of a wider tale: just 10 years ago, China was considered the country that produced dirty generics cheaply; now, it partners even with the best Western pharmaceutical giants with its high-profile innovation in the domain of advanced drugs.

Something always happens with some kind of irony—now, these other big names have to hoof it to outflank Chinese biotechs, as big names in China strike multi-billion-dollar deals with international partners to bring their innovations to the world. This is probably why AstraZeneca signed a $1.92 billion deal with China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group for the development of cardiovascular drugs not over a single year. Earlier this month, Merck and Hansoh Pharmaceutical also struck a US$2 billion deal to develop obesity medicine.

However, the figures show better facts still: 2017 displayed a mere 46 licensing deals for Chinese biotech companies, while 2020 reveals an astounding number of 200 such deals, with a total of $57 billion, according to HSBC Qianhai Securities.

Why do Some Not Trust?

In the sense of Akeso’s pathway to glory, it undertakes a series of tests in China. Some people aren’t sure that China can produce its medicals. Recently, a Chinese authenticity drug quarrel in the press stirred up public fury—except that official voices later disavowed their view.

“I might favour more pricey drugs for much better quality,” Gu Zhihao, a Beijing resident, said. This notion is general in Chinese culture, where imported drugs are viewed as better.

Such uncertainty is not reserved for China’s people. The US FDA has questioned the quality of clinical trials conducted in China. In the past, Chinese drugs have not been approved by the FDA for trials that were perceived as not as stringent as they should have been.

What Next for Akeso?

China’s Food and Drug Administration has approved Ivonescimab for certain lung cancer patients. Nevertheless, it might still take some time for conducive circumstances to bump it onto the US market. To shut out sceptics, Akeso will conduct a global trial scheduled for November this year. If the results are as promising as the initial ones, it could be a visual moment for Chinese biotechnology to achieve global prominence.

What does the future hold? 

Akeso’s floats, isn’t it? Chinese biotech seems ripe for global competition, with leading-edge research, strategic partnerships, and a rising reputation in innovation. The likes of Akeso are rewriting the rules of the pharmaceutical industry.

For all cancer patients across the globe, this may bring about more effective treatments at more affordable prices. For the big pharma giants who sat atop the market for decades, there is no denying that China no longer is the follower; it is about to become the world leader!