Ivonescimab with Chemotherapy Reduced the Risk of Disease Progression or Death by 40% Compared to Tislelizumab (PD-1 Inhibitor) Plus Chemotherapy in 1L Treatment of Patients with Squamous NSCLC in the HARMONi-6 Study Conducted by Akeso in China

Core Insights - Ivonescimab combined with chemotherapy demonstrated a 40% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared to Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of patients with squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the HARMONi-6 study [1][5][33] - The median progression-free survival (PFS) was 11.14 months for Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy versus 6.90 months for Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy, with a hazard ratio of 0.60 [1][5][6] - The safety profile of Ivonescimab was comparable to Tislelizumab, with similar rates of serious treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and discontinuation due to TRAEs [1][7][9] Study Overview - The HARMONi-6 trial was a Phase III, multi-center study conducted in China, evaluating Ivonescimab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy against Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced squamous NSCLC, regardless of PD-L1 expression [2][4][33] - The study was sponsored by Akeso, Inc., with all relevant data generated and analyzed by Akeso [2][4] Efficacy Results - Ivonescimab showed a statistically significant improvement in PFS, with a hazard ratio of 0.60 (95% CI: 0.46, 0.78; p<0.0001) [5][6] - The overall response rate (ORR) was 75.9% for Ivonescimab plus chemotherapy compared to 66.5% for Tislelizumab plus chemotherapy [6] - Duration of response (DoR) was also longer for Ivonescimab at 11.20 months versus 8.38 months for Tislelizumab [6] Safety Profile - The safety profile of Ivonescimab was manageable, with 3.4% of patients discontinuing due to TRAEs compared to 4.2% for Tislelizumab [9][11] - Serious TRAEs occurred in 32.3% of patients receiving Ivonescimab and 30.2% for Tislelizumab [11] - Grade 3 or higher immune-related adverse events were reported in 9.0% of Ivonescimab patients versus 10.2% for Tislelizumab [11] Future Studies - The HARMONi-3 global study will analyze squamous and non-squamous NSCLC cohorts separately, with enrollment completion expected in the first half of 2026 for the squamous cohort and the second half of 2026 for the non-squamous cohort [1][19][20] - An interim analysis for overall survival is planned for both cohorts upon reaching the prespecified number of events [19][20] Publication and Presentation - The results of the HARMONi-6 trial were published in The Lancet and presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) 2025 Congress [1][13][24]