An inability to conduct manufacturing field inspections in China due to strict local COVID-19 policies is cited as the only reason for the delay for the anti-PD-1 drug, for which the timescale for resolution is currently unclear.

InventisBio and Akeso seek to gross a combined $384.3m in an initial public share sale in Shanghai and a private placement in Hong Kong respectively, while Chipscreen completed raising $74.4m by selling convertible bonds in Shanghai.

Akeso’s PD-1/CTLA-4-targeting therapy cadonilimab has been the front-runner in the bispecific antibody field in China, leading about 50 other similar agents under development by domestic pharma firms. With a new conditional approval, it has also gained a head start over home-grown PD-1/L1 antibody rivals in the cervical cancer space.

EGFR-targeting antibody, anti-PD-1/CTLA4 bispecific antibody and CD19-targeting CAR-T therapy from emerging Chinese oncology companies shine at one of ASCO’s most-watched sessions.