SHANGHAI, June 1, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Chicago from May 29 to June 2 (local time). As one of the world's leading oncology conferences, the ASCO Annual Meeting serves as a key venue for presenting advances in cancer research and clinical development. This year, Hengrui Pharma presented more than 90 studies spanning multiple tumor types and therapeutic modalities.
According to statistics, 94 Chinese research projects were selected for oral presentations at ASCO this year, including 12 late-breaking abstracts, marking the third consecutive year of growth. At 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting, Hengrui Pharma presented 91 accepted studies and 11 oral presentations featuring innovative therapies, underscoring the breadth of the company's oncology pipeline and ongoing investment in innovative drug development.
As a leading innovative pharmaceutical company in China, Hengrui continues to focus on oncology research and drug development. For 16 consecutive years, Hengrui has shared data from its oncology portfolio at the ASCO Annual Meeting. This year, the company's research program encompasses multiple key areas, including gastrointestinal cancers, breast cancer, lung cancer, urological cancers, gynecological cancers, and supportive cancer care, covering 11 approved medicines, 10 pipeline candidates, and one Class 2 new drug (NMPA classification). These programs are supported by more than 10 technology platforms covering small molecules, ADCs, bispecific and multispecific antibodies, and degraders. Together, these platform-based R&D capabilities support a broad oncology pipeline encompassing multiple therapeutic approaches across different tumor types.
Breast Cancer: New Data Support Multiple Emerging Treatment Strategies
For triple-negative breast cancer, the HELEN-Trio 011 study led by Professor Zhenzhen Liu of Henan Cancer Hospital showed that the pathological complete response (pCR) rate for neoadjuvant therapy with camrelizumab combined with chemotherapy reached 57.5%, significantly outperforming the pCR of 45.4% observed with chemotherapy alone. In the field of neoadjuvant therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer, the HELEN HER-013 study was the first to demonstrate that the chemotherapy-de-escalated regimen of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel, trastuzumab, and the tyrosine kinase inhibitor pyrotinib (nab-PHPy) is noninferior to standard TCHP, offering a new treatment option for patients who cannot tolerate severe hematologic toxicity.
Gastrointestinal Cancers: ADC and Immunotherapy Combination Treatments Show Promise
In the field of colorectal cancer, the HORIZON-CRC01 study led by Professor Jin Li of Shanghai GoBroad Cancer Hospital Affiliated to China Pharmaceutical University and Professor Ying Yuan of The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine demonstrated that the new-generation anti-HER2 ADC, trastuzumab rezetecan, when used to treat patients with HER2-positive, RAS and RAF wild-type advanced colorectal cancer who have progressed after standard second-line therapy, achieved a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 5.5 months, compared to 2.8 months with conventional chemotherapy, suggesting a potential new treatment option for patients whose disease has progressed following standard therapies. In the field of liver cancer, the CARES-336 study, co-led by Academician Jia Fan from Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and Professor Shukui Qin from Tsientang Institute for Advanced Study, has for the first time demonstrated that the "Camrelizumab + Apatinib" regimen combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) significantly prolongs median PFS compared to TACE alone (by BIRC per mRECIST, 11.1 months vs. 8.3 months), supporting the potential use of this combination approach in patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).
Urological Cancers: Dual Breakthroughs in Prostate and Bladder Cancers
The FUZUPRO study, led by Professor Dingwei Ye of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, demonstrated that first-line treatment with fluzoparib combined with abiraterone acetate and prednisone for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) resulted in a median radiographic PFS of 24.8 months, compared to 19.9 months with the standard regimen. Another study demonstrated that the anti-Nectin-4 ADC SHR-A2102 combined with adebrelimab achieved a pCR of 48.1% and a pathological downstaging rate of 59.3% in the perioperative treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, including those with renal dysfunction.
Supportive Cancer Care: Additional Evidence for New Antiemetic Drug
The Phase III PROTECT study, led by Professor Li Zhang and Professor Yuhong Li of the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, demonstrated that Fosrolapitant and Palonosetron Hydrochloride for Injection—a novel, ultra-long-acting antiemetic developed in-house by Hengrui—achieved significantly higher complete response rates than the standard regimen during the acute, delayed, and overall phases for the prevention of nausea and vomiting induced by moderately emetogenic chemotherapy. These findings add to the growing body of clinical evidence supporting its use in supportive cancer care.
Hengrui Pharma currently markets 16 approved oncology medicines in China and is advancing nearly 60 oncology candidates across its research portfolio. The company is conducting more than 150 clinical trials worldwide across its key oncology development programs.
Hengrui's expanding presence at the ASCO Annual Meeting reflects continued progress across its oncology pipeline and broader clinical development efforts. The company's research presentations this year span multiple tumor types and therapeutic modalities, highlighting both approved medicines and investigational candidates across its oncology portfolio.
As oncology research continues to evolve globally, Hengrui remains focused on translating scientific innovation into potential clinical benefit for patients through sustained investment in research and development.
