At the 2026 ESMO Annual Meeting, 29 of the 96 Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs) came from China, accounting for about 30%, with 5 entering the Presidential Session—both the number and proportion reaching historic highs. This is a visible marker of Chinese innovative drugs "being seen." [1]

But "being seen" is not only measured by LBAs. Efung's portfolio companies presented another answer sheet at this year's ESMO: Huahao Zhongtian announced at ESMO a Phase III head-to-head study (2666P) comparing its drug with docetaxel in NSCLC patients who had failed prior platinum-containing chemotherapy; NeuRuiTe, a dark horse in China's innovative radiopharmaceuticals, continues to focus on pan-tumor radiopharmaceutical development with its FAP-targeting ¹⁷⁷Lu/⁶⁸Ga-NRT6020 injection; and Chipscreen Biosciences had four studies selected, covering lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, advanced soft tissue sarcoma, and other areas [2].

None of the three is on the main ADC or bispecific antibody tracks, but they point respectively to areas that Chinese innovative drugs have previously touched less—such as regulatory pathways, upstream compliance systems, and epigenetic regulation—adding another reference point to the discussion of "non-main tracks."

Huahao Zhongtian:

A Domestic Microtubule Inhibitor Challenges Later-Line Lung Cancer Treatment

Utidelone injection (UTD1), a Class 1 new drug independently developed by Huahao Zhongtian, is a globally first-in-class epothilone-class microtubule stabilizer. The study abstract number is 2666P, titled "A Phase III Open-Label Randomized Controlled Study of Utidelone Versus Docetaxel in NSCLC Patients Who Failed Prior Platinum-Containing Chemotherapy," and was presented by Professor Wang Lei of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine.

The study enrolled patients with locally advanced/metastatic NSCLC who had failed prior platinum-based or targeted therapy and randomly assigned them 1:1 to receive utidelone or the standard control docetaxel. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). As a new-generation microtubule inhibitor, utidelone has advantages including being less prone to P-gp-mediated resistance, the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier to control brain metastases, and a differentiated toxicity profile. The 2666P study demonstrates important progress by a domestic innovative drug in challenging the standard later-line treatment for lung cancer. [3]

NeuRuiTe:

A Dark Horse Representative in China's Innovative Radiopharmaceutical Field

NeuRuiTe Medical has attracted much attention as a dark horse representative in China's innovative radiopharmaceutical field. Its self-developed ¹⁷⁷Lu-NRT6020 injection and ⁶⁸Ga-NRT6020 injection (targeting FAP-positive advanced solid tumors, a pan-tumor target) have successfully obtained U.S. FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance. The project previously announced impressive Phase I clinical data at the international top nuclear medicine conference (EANM) and was one of the focal points of academic attention at this meeting. [5]

Chipscreen Biosciences:

Four Selections for Chidamide

A total of four research results on chidamide (Epidaza®), a globally first-in-class epigenetic regulatory drug from Chipscreen Biosciences, were selected, covering lymphoma, pancreatic cancer, advanced soft tissue sarcoma, and other areas.

The four studies are: chidamide-mediated epigenetic reprogramming enhances the anti-lymphoma efficacy of allogeneic CAR-γδT cells (abstract number 1460P); QL1706 combined with chidamide, albumin-bound paclitaxel, and gemcitabine as first-line treatment for metastatic pancreatic cancer (abstract number 3155P); chidamide combined with anlotinib for advanced soft tissue sarcoma after failure of standard treatment (abstract number 3733P); and radiotherapy-induced in situ vaccination combined with chidamide and PD-1 antibody for advanced soft tissue sarcoma (abstract number 3748P). [4]

From Being Seen to Being Cited:

Another Measure of the Power to Define

The number of LBAs and seats in the Presidential Session measure the instantaneous brightness of a study within the conference cycle. But the cycle for realizing a drug's value is far longer than a single annual meeting.

For portfolio companies not on the main tracks, another form of "being seen" is becoming an unavoidable link in others' regulatory pathways—this is harder to obtain than an LBA number and harder to replace. And the so-called "power to define" lies precisely in this "unavoidability": in the process of Chinese innovative drugs moving from "being seen" to "the power to define," the ability to embed oneself in the rule system may be closer to the essence of the power to define than standing under the spotlight.

Data sources:

1.https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wq7z5_BUgpTH36a54sxz3g

2.https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/TIX8QnuHQb9UQWLYz_AH1A

3.https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=%E4%B9%8C%E6%9B%BF%E9%9A%86%E2%85%A2%E6%9C%9F%E8%82%BA%E7%99%8C%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%EF%BC%882666P%EF%BC%89&sca_esv=9366922e221b021a&sxsrf=APpeQnuFCKhA3XunyotwrzREjQlWgNGfuw%3A1793099462672&source=hp&ei=xobgavuiJ6DnkPIPipC_sAc&iflsig=ABILxe8AAAAAauCU1u8XdC2HDLMnWPxCjkUIOuhOX6V6&sei=yYbgatnXHrDPkPIPvcWE4Q8

4.ESMO 2026 Express | Four Research Results on Chipscreen Biosciences' Chidamide (Epidaza®) to Be Presented

5.https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=%E7%BA%BD%E7%91%9E%E7%89%B9esmo2026&sca_esv=9366922e221b021a&sxsrf=APpeQnsRAYnekNf0afOCHxCaugQjhg-bQw%3A1793099466456&ei=yobgapy5G5Gjur8Py9zo-Qw&biw=1432&bih=734&uact=5&oq=%E7%BA%BD%E7%91%9E%E7%89%B9esmo2026&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiEee6veeRnueJuWVzbW8yMDI2MgUQABjvBTIFEAAY7wUyBRAAGO8FMgUQABjvBTIFEAAY7wVInxlQAFiyFnAAeACQAQCYAa0GoAHFFKoBCzItMi4xLjIuMC4xuAEDyAEA-AEC-AEBmAIGoAKdFcICBRAAGIAEwgIIEAAYgAQYogSYAwCSBwsyLTIuMS4yLjAuMaAHhAmyBwsyLTIuMS4yLjAuMbgHnRXCBwMyLTbIBx6ACAE&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

【Interactive Session】

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