GSK Strengthens Lung Cancer Pipeline With Back-to-Back Trial Wins, Shares Climb

GSK plc (LON: GSK) unveiled a wave of positive lung cancer data at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul this week, bolstering its oncology ambitions, with shares trading around 2.5% higher on Monday morining.

GSK reported that its drug Jideytro (zidesamtinib) achieved a 94% objective response rate in previously untreated patients with ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer, with 90% of patients progression-free at 12 months.

Notably, 70% of patients with brain metastases saw complete clearance of detectable tumours. The results will support a supplemental FDA filing later this year to expand Jideytro’s approval into first-line use; the drug was already approved in July 2026 for previously treated patients.

A day earlier, GSK’s licensing partner Hansoh Pharmaceutical announced that Ris-Rez (risvutatug rezetecan), a B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, cut the risk of death by 54% versus topotecan in a Chinese phase III trial of relapsed small cell lung cancer patients.

Median survival reached 18.5 months versus 10.3 months for the comparator, with fewer severe side effects. GSK holds global rights to Ris-Rez outside China and is running its own phase III programme, including the EMBOLD SCLC-301 trial, with data expected next year.

Hesham Abdullah, GSK’s oncology R&D chief, said the results “mark an important step forward” for the company’s lung cancer ambitions, which aim to expand beyond its traditional blood and women’s cancer focus.

Both assets stem partly from GSK’s recent acquisition of Nuvalent, underlining the company’s push to diversify its oncology pipeline through targeted therapies and ADCs, with management targeting multiple new lung cancer launches over the next five years.