Ivonescimab shows superior overall survival to pembrolizumab in advanced NSCLC trial

Ivonescimab demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in overall survival compared with pembrolizumab when used as first‑line therapy for patients with PD‑L1‑positive advanced non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The finding emerged from a prespecified interim analysis of the phase 3 HARMONi‑2 trial, which was presented today at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The trial enrolled participants with confirmed PD‑L1 expression and randomized them to receive either ivonescimab or the current standard of care, pembrolizumab, in combination with chemotherapy.

The interim results showed that patients receiving ivonescimab experienced a longer median overall survival, meeting the trial’s primary endpoint for efficacy. Safety data indicated a comparable adverse‑event profile between the two arms, with no new safety signals identified. investigators noted that the data support further evaluation of ivonescimab as a potential new standard for first‑line treatment in this patient population, and final trial outcomes are expected later this year.