Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from China and South Korea presented a wide array of new clinical cancer research at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026, held in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to October 27. The five-day medical conference featured data on experimental therapies—particularly targeted treatments known as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)—highlighting the growing global footprint of Asian drug developers in international oncology research.

While Chinese drugmakers accounted for a substantial share of the conference's late-breaking clinical trial readouts and high-profile symposium slots, South Korean biotech firms focused primarily on early-stage human trials, preclinical research, and artificial intelligence tools designed to guide cancer care. For patients and healthcare providers in the United States, the findings offer an early look at experimental therapies that are increasingly being co-developed with Western pharmaceutical partners, though the candidates remain investigational and are not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Measuring the Rise of Asian Oncology Research

The visibility of Asian biopharmaceutical research at the Madrid congress drew widespread attention from healthcare analysts, though different news outlets used varying methods to tally the presentations. According to the South China Morning Post, Chinese research accounted for 29 of the 96 late-breaking abstracts—which are summaries of the newest clinical trial data—selected for the conference. The outlet also noted that five of the 12 studies featured in the prestigious Presidential Symposium originated from Chinese firms, with analysts at China Post Securities pointing to the data as evidence of expanding domestic drug development capabilities.

Meanwhile, a broader count reported by the South Korean news outlet eDaily, citing an analysis by Biotech Readout, stated that Chinese organizations delivered 243 new-drug clinical trial result presentations across the entire congress, compared with seven from South Korea. Because the broader analysis and the late-breaking abstract counts measure different categories of conference presentations, the figures are not directly comparable, though both reflect a substantial presence of Chinese clinical trials alongside a smaller, targeted slate of South Korean programs.

Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugates Lead the Data

Much of the clinical data centered on antibody-drug conjugates, a class of cancer therapies designed to act like guided missiles by linking a targeted antibody to a potent cell-killing chemotherapy payload. Unlike traditional chemotherapy, which affects both healthy and cancerous cells throughout the body, ADCs aim to deliver toxic medication directly to tumor cells that display specific surface proteins.

Several late-stage Phase 3 trials—which typically compare a new therapy against existing standard treatments in large patient groups—featured Chinese-developed ADCs. According to The Bio News and company releases, Hansoh Pharmaceutical and global partner GSK presented primary Phase 3 results from the ARTEMIS-011 trial evaluating risvutatug rezetecan, a B7-H3-targeted ADC, in patients with relapsed or refractory osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Separately, BioSpace highlighted Phase 3 TroFuse-005 results for sacituzumab tirumotecan, a TROP2-directed ADC developed by China's Kelun-Biotech and partnered with U.S.-based Merck, in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. BioSpace noted a 6.9-month survival-related benefit over standard chemotherapy, while eDaily also reported positive Phase 3 survival findings for the Chinese-developed CLDN18.2 ADC sonesitatug vedotin in advanced gastric cancer.

Early-stage research also drew attention. On October 25, Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group announced results from a first-in-human Phase 1 study (NCT06927570) of HS-20122, a bispecific ADC designed to target two tumor proteins simultaneously: EGFR and c-Met. Led by investigators at the Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, the trial enrolled 215 patients with advanced solid tumors as of the July 6, 2026 data cutoff. Across all tumor types, 44.1% of patients experienced measurable tumor shrinkage (the objective response rate), and 91.0% achieved disease control. Among patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer whose disease had progressed after standard targeted therapy, the response rate was 61.3%, with 75.3% of patients remaining free of disease progression at six months. The most common severe (Grade 3 or higher) side effects were manageable drops in blood cell counts, including neutropenia in 25.6% of participants and reduced white blood cell counts in 15.8%, while severe mouth sores (stomatitis) occurred in 0.9% of patients and no severe skin rashes were reported.

South Korean Programs and Global Vaccine Readouts

South Korean companies used the Madrid meeting to outline early clinical trials and cross-border research strategies. According to eDaily, LigaChem Biosciences presented preclinical findings and the global Phase 1/2 trial design for LCB02A, an ADC targeting the CLDN18.2 protein. The outlet reported that the first North American patient in the study received a dose on October 15, with the trial planned to enroll up to 191 participants. Other South Korean programs included Phase 1 solid-tumor studies from SillaJen (BAL0891) and Qurient (Q901), a Phase 1 acute myeloid leukemia trial design from AptaBio (Apta-16), and five studies from medical artificial intelligence firm Lunit examining AI biomarkers to predict treatment responses.

Beyond Asian-origin drugs, the conference featured high-profile international immunotherapy studies. Most notably, U.S. drugmakers Moderna and Merck were scheduled to present Phase 3 INTerpath-001 data for intismeran autogene, a personalized mRNA cancer vaccine tested alongside the immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in patients with resected high-risk melanoma. While advance coverage anticipated the official presentation, Fierce Biotech reported on October 26 that the vaccine readouts leaked two days before the scheduled Presidential Symposium.

What This Means for Patients and U.S. Cancer Care

For patients and families navigating a cancer diagnosis in the United States, major international meetings like ESMO provide an important window into the future of oncology, but the findings require careful context. Clinical trial presentations at medical conferences do not mean a medication is approved by the FDA or available for routine prescription in American hospitals.

Many of the therapies highlighted in Madrid—such as Hansoh's Phase 1 study of HS-20122 and the South Korean Phase 1 pipelines—are in the earliest phases of human testing, which are primarily designed to evaluate basic safety and dosing in small groups of patients. Even when therapies reach Phase 3 trials and show encouraging survival benefits, regulators require thorough, independent reviews of the complete datasets, manufacturing standards, and long-term safety profiles before granting marketing authorization.

However, the growing number of licensing agreements between Asian biotech companies and multinational pharmaceutical firms—such as the collaborations involving Merck, GSK, and BioNTech—means that several of these investigational drugs are actively being tested in global trials that include North American clinic sites. Patients interested in emerging targeted therapies or clinical trials should consult their board-certified oncologist to discuss established standards of care and whether any FDA-authorized clinical trials are appropriate for their specific cancer type and genetic profile.

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