New Drug Data
Ascentage Pharma Unveils Promising Clinical Updates for Key Hematology Drugs at EHA2026 Congress
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Ascentage Pharma (NASDAQ: AAPG) wrapped up a major showing at the 31st European Hematology Association Congress in Stockholm, presenting 17 clinical updates on its two flagship cancer drugs. The company's third-generation leukemia pill, olverembatinib, hit a 91.3% complete cytogenetic response rate in second-line CML patients by cycle 24 — up from 76.2% at earlier data cuts, according to GlobeNewswire.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Yifan Zhai said the data "further validate the therapeutic value" of both drugs. Analysts at B. Riley Securities agree, slapping a $45 price target on the stock. Yet shares trade near a 52-week low of about $17 — a stark gap between the science and the market.
Olverembatinib Posts Deep Responses in Resistant CML Patients
Olverembatinib is a BCR-ABL1 inhibitor — a drug that blocks the faulty protein driving chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It was the first third-generation pill of its kind approved in China. The EHA data covered 47 patients whose cancer resisted first-line TKI therapy. A full 91.5% of enrollees had drug-resistant disease, according to Yahoo Finance.
The results were striking. By cycle 24, 60.9% of patients achieved a major molecular response — meaning cancer was nearly undetectable. Even in the toughest subgroup — patients who had already failed second-generation TKIs like nilotinib — 81.3% hit a complete cytogenetic response. Dr. Zhai called olverembatinib a potential "important treatment option for CML," per GlobeNewswire.
Lisaftoclax Hits 97% Response Rate in Combination Therapy
Lisaftoclax (APG-2575) is Ascentage's Bcl-2 inhibitor — a drug that forces cancer cells to self-destruct. It is the first China-developed Bcl-2 inhibitor to win approval, targeting chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). When paired with acalabrutinib in relapsed or refractory CLL patients, the combo reached a 97% overall response rate, Barchart reported.
As a single drug, lisaftoclax still delivered a 67% response rate in patients who failed prior BTK inhibitor therapy — a notoriously hard-to-treat group. Updated registrational Phase II data at EHA focused on refining dosing regimens across different patient types. The company said it plans to explore more combination strategies going forward.
Safety Data and a Critical Takeda Partnership Draw Investor Eyes
Safety results carry weight when regulators weigh approvals. In the olverembatinib second-line study, 89.4% of patients had treatment-related side effects. Grade 3 or worse events — serious adverse effects — hit 44.7% of patients, mostly blood-related issues like low platelet or white cell counts. Ascentage calls the profile "manageable," per Yahoo Finance.
Beyond the clinic, analysts fixate on Takeda Pharmaceutical, which holds an option for the exclusive global license of olverembatinib outside China and Russia. If Takeda exercises that option, it would trigger large milestone payments. Deutsche Bank set a $40 price target on AAPG, citing the partnership's value, while B. Riley put its target at $45 — against a current price of roughly $17, according to GlobeNewswire.
Seven FDA-Cleared Phase 3 Trials Signal a Push Beyond China
Ascentage is not resting on its China approvals. The company has seven FDA-cleared Phase 3 trials underway, including the POLARIS-2 study for olverembatinib's global CML registration and four GLORA trials testing lisaftoclax in CLL, AML, and MDS. A win in any of these would put Ascentage in direct competition with AbbVie's Venetoclax — the current Bcl-2 market leader — on a worldwide stage, Barchart noted.
The company is also shifting more operations to its Rockville, Maryland office to work more closely with the FDA. Ascentage presented three rapid oral presentations at ASCO in Chicago just two weeks before EHA, showing olverembatinib data alongside its first international dataset for a combination with blinatumomab. The back-to-back conferences signal a company in full global expansion mode.
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