Akeso vs Merck: China’s Lung Cancer Showdown Nobody Asked For

Akeso vs Merck: China’s Lung Cancer Showdown Nobody Asked For
Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Akeso, the Chinese biotech underdog, decided to keyboard-warrior challenge Merck’s cancer titan Keytruda with its own lung cancer drug—because what the world needed was another medical cage match. They boldly claimed increased patient survival, which is nice, but how much longer can we use ‘survival’ as a marketing pitch without sounding like a reality TV show eviction notice? Details like trial timelines, money spent, and precise survival rates were mercifully absent—maybe next press release. Meanwhile, in some lab somewhere, a scientist is probably wondering why their name isn’t in this brief yet operatic drama.

Share the Story

(1 of 3)
Swipe to navigate

Source: Statnews | Published: 8/26/2025 | Author: Jonathan Wosen