Plain Language Summary of Publication - Comparing ivonescimab with pembrolizumab in people with PD-L1–positive non-small cell lung cancer (HARMONi-2)

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca

Plain language summary of the HARMONi-2 phase 3 study comparing ivonescimab and pembrolizumab in people with advanced or metastatic PD-L1–positive non-small cell lung cancer in China. It explains the treatment rationale, defines key terms such as PD-L1 and progression-free survival, and reports results including a longer median progression-free survival with ivonescimab. It also summarizes side effects, discusses what the findings may mean, and states the summary’s purpose and intended readership.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

What is this summary about?

How to say (download PDF and double click sound icon to play sound)

What were the results?

What do the results mean?

What is the purpose of this plain language summary?

Who should read this article?

Who sponsored this study?

What is PD-L1–positive NSCLC?

Future ONCOLOGY Plain Language Summary of Publication Plain language summary: comparing ivonescimab with pembrolizumab in people with PD-L1–positive non-small cell lung cancer in the HARMONi-2 study Lei Wanga, Wenxiu Yaob, Hong Shenc, Conghua Xied, HualinChene, Kai Chenf, Wenzhong Sug, XinGanh, Minglei Zhuoi, Enguo Chenj, Zhi Xuk, Yan Zhangl, Mengzhao Wangm, Rui Man, Hongcheng Wuo, Zhihong Zhangp, Feng Yeq, Amy C. Moorer & Caicun Zhoua,s Author affiliations can be found at the end of this article First draft submitted: 21 August 2025; Accepted for publication: 4 December 2025 Where can I find the original article on which this summary is based? The original article is titled ’Ivonescimab versus pembrolizumab for PD-L1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (HARMONi-2): a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 study in China.’ You can obtain a copy of the original article at: [https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2902722-3/abstract](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2902722-3/abstract. The paper)[. The paper](https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2824%2902722-3/abstract. The paper) is not free to access. What is this summary about? HARMONi-2 is a study that looked ata new treatment for people with advanced or metastatic (cancer that has spread to other parts of the body) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in China. People who took part in the study had How to say (download PDF and double click sound icon to play sound) ... • Ivonescimab: ih-von-es-ih-MAB • Pembrolizumab: pem-bro-LIZ-oo-mab • Squamous: SKWAY-muhs NSCLC that was positive for the programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) marker and the treatment they received during the study was called first-line treatment (meaning the patients had not taken any medicine for their cancer before the study) . PD-L1 is a protein on the surface of tumor cells. Ivonescimab is a newtype of cancer treatment, and the HARMONi-2 study looked at how well ivonescimab worked compared with pembrolizumab for treating NSCLC. Pembrolizumab is a medicine currently approved to treat PD-L1–positive advanced NSCLC in China and the United States. What were the results? For the group of participants who took ivonescimab, the median progression-free survival (defined as the amount of time when half of participants have experienced growth or spread of Ivonescimab: A type of medicine that binds two different proteins (programmed cell death protein 1 [PD-1] on immune cells and vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) to help the body’s immune system fight cancer and prevent tumors from forming new blood vessels. Pembrolizumab: A type of medicine that binds to a specific protein on immune cells (PD-1) to block the PD-L1 protein on cancer cells from binding, which helps the body’s immune system fight cancer. Progression-free survival: A measurement used in clinical trials to show how long the cancer is controlled by the treatment using the amount of time a patient lives without their cancer getting worse or spreading. their cancer) was significantly longer (11.1 months) compared with participants who took pembrolizumab (5.8 months) . 10. 1080/14796694 .2025. 2601138 © 2026 The Author(s) . Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License ([http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, and is not altered, transformed, or built upon in any way. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent. For reprints and re-use requests, please contact: [t&freprints

FAQs

What was the HARMONi-2 study comparing?

The HARMONi-2 study compared ivonescimab with pembrolizumab as first-line treatments for people with advanced or metastatic PD-L1–positive non-small cell lung cancer.

What were the key results for progression-free survival?

For participants receiving ivonescimab, median progression-free survival was 11.1 months, compared with 5.8 months for those receiving pembrolizumab.

What side effects were reported in the study?

Side effects related to immunotherapy were reported in 90% of participants receiving ivonescimab and 82% receiving pembrolizumab. Serious treatment-related side effects occurred in 21% and 16%, respectively.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by acoobca