Summit Therapeutics hits possible snag on lung cancer drug seen as blockbuster

Summit Therapeutics may have a geography problem with its lung cancer drug ivonescimab.

In a study update reported Sunday, patients from North America and Europe treated with the drug saw their lung cancer return and progress faster than patients from China — a discordant result that could complicate Summit’s plans to secure approval of ivonescimab in the U.S. and Europe.

The risk of tumor progression fell by 45% for participants from China treated with ivonescimab and chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy and a placebo. For participants from Western countries, however, the risk of tumor progression was reduced by 33% — an outcome that failed to reach statistical significance.

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