Calls for collaboration on drug innovation mount

When the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) wrapped up its 2026 annual meeting in Chicago on June 2, one breakthrough therapy made headlines around the globe: ivonescimab, an experimental lung cancer treatment developed by Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Akeso, delivered promising late-stage trial results that experts say highlight China’s rapidly expanding footprint in global drug development — and make the case for international partnership over ideological division.