Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca Enter into Clinical Trial Collaboration with Summit Therapeutics to Evaluate Datroway® in Combination with Ivonescimab Across Multiple Tumor Types

The partners will contribute medicines and trial funding while retaining development and commercial rights to their respective treatments.

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10/02/2026 - 02:30 AM

TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/NYSE: AZN) have entered into a clinical trial collaboration agreement with Summit Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: SMMT) to evaluate Datroway^® (datopotamab deruxtecan) in combination with ivonescimab across multiple tumor types including lung and breast cancers. The companies intend to begin with a phase 3 trial in first-line triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

Datroway is a specifically engineered TROP2 directed DXd antibody drug conjugate (ADC) discovered by Daiichi Sankyo and being jointly developed and commercialized by Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca.

“At Daiichi Sankyo, we are focused on maximizing the potential of our DXd antibody drug conjugate portfolio through innovative combinations and strategic collaborations that support the continued advancement of our pipeline,” said John Tsai, MD, Global Head, R&D, Daiichi Sankyo. “We are encouraged by the opportunity to explore ivonescimab in combination with Datroway to potentially deliver clinically meaningful benefit to patients.”

“Central to our strategy to transform cancer outcomes is harnessing the power of immunotherapy and antibody drug conjugate combinations to drive deeper, more durable responses,” said Susan Galbraith, Executive Vice President, Oncology Hematology R&D, AstraZeneca. “We believe the combination of Datroway and ivonescimab has the potential to make a meaningful difference in multiple tumor types including lung and breast cancers.”

“We believe this collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca reflects increasing conviction in ivonescimab’s potential as a foundational next-generation immunotherapy and advances our ambition for ivonescimab to become the global PD-1/VEGF partner of choice for novel combinations,” said Maky Zanganeh, President and Co-Chief Executive Officer, Summit Therapeutics. “Beginning with a phase 3 study in first-line triple negative breast cancer, this collaboration represents an important expansion of Summit’s global development program into breast cancer and a path for additional solid tumor settings.”

Under the terms of the agreement, each company will contribute their respective compound for the planned combination trials, which will be sponsored by AstraZeneca or Daiichi Sankyo. AstraZeneca, Daiichi Sankyo and Summit will each contribute to trial costs, and each company will retain development and commercial rights to their respective medicines.

Ivonescimab is a novel, potential first-in-class bispecific antibody combining the effects of immunotherapy via a blockade of PD-1 with the anti-angiogenesis effects associated with blocking VEGF into a single molecule.

About Datroway
Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan; datopotamab deruxtecan-dlnk in the U.S. only) is a TROP2 directed ADC. Designed using the proprietary DXd ADC Technology of Daiichi Sankyo, Datroway is one of seven DXd ADCs in the oncology pipeline of Daiichi Sankyo, and one of the most advanced programs in AstraZeneca’s ADC scientific platform. Datroway is comprised of a humanized anti-TROP2 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, developed in collaboration with Sapporo Medical University, attached to a number of topoisomerase I inhibitor payloads (an exatecan derivative, DXd) via tetrapeptide-based cleavable linkers.

Datroway (6 mg/kg) is approved in more than 30 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic TNBC who are not candidates for PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy based on the results from the TROPION-Breast02 trial.

Datroway (6 mg/kg) is approved in more than 45 countries/regions worldwide for the treatment of adult patients with unresectable or metastatic HR positive, HER2 negative (IHC 0, IHC 1+ or IHC 2+/ISH-) breast cancer who have received prior endocrine-based therapy and chemotherapy for unresectable or metastatic disease based on the results from the TROPION-Breast01 trial.

Datroway (6 mg/kg) is approved in Brazil, Russia, Singapore and the U.S. for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have received prior EGFR-directed therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy based on the results from TROPION-Lung05 and TROPION-Lung01 trials. Continued approval for this indication in the U.S. may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial.

About the Datroway Clinical Development Program
A comprehensive global clinical development program is underway with more than 20 trials evaluating the efficacy and safety of Datroway across multiple cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), TNBC and urothelial cancer. The program includes eight phase 3 trials in lung cancer, five phase 3 trials in breast cancer and one phase 3 and one phase 2/3 trial in urothelial cancer evaluating Datroway as a monotherapy and in combination with other cancer treatments in various settings.

About the Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca Collaboration
Daiichi Sankyo and AstraZeneca entered into a global collaboration to jointly develop and commercialize Enhertu^® in March 2019 and Datroway in July 2020, except in Japan where Daiichi Sankyo maintains exclusive rights for each ADC. Daiichi Sankyo is responsible for the manufacturing and supply of Enhertu and Datroway.

About the ADC Portfolio of Daiichi Sankyo
The Daiichi Sankyo ADC portfolio consists of nine ADCs in clinical development crafted from ADC technology discovered in-house by Daiichi Sankyo.

The DXd ADC Technology platform of Daiichi Sankyo consists of seven ADCs in clinical development where each ADC is comprised of a monoclonal antibody attached to a number of topoisomerase I inhibitor payloads (an exatecan derivative, DXd) via tetrapeptide-based cleavable linkers. The DXd ADCs include Enhertu and Datroway, which are being jointly developed and commercialized globally with AstraZeneca, and ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd), raludotatug deruxtecan (R-DXd) and patritumab deruxtecan (HER3-DXd), which are being jointly developed and commercialized globally with Merck & Co., Inc, Rahway, NJ, USA. DS-3939 and DS3790 are being developed by Daiichi Sankyo.

Additional ADCs being developed by Daiichi Sankyo include DS3610, which consists of an antibody attached to a novel payload that acts as an agonist of STING, and DS1025, which consists of a CD25 directed antibody attached to an immuno-oncology optimized cytotoxic payload.

Ifinatamab deruxtecan, raludotatug deruxtecan, patritumab deruxtecan, DS-3939, DS3610, DS3790 and DS1025 are investigational medicines that have not been approved for any indication in any country. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

About Daiichi Sankyo
Daiichi Sankyo (TSE: 4568) is a global healthcare company committed to becoming a trusted healthcare innovator, transforming the lives of people through its strength in science and technology. The company discovers and develops new standards of care to address diverse medical needs to fulfill its purpose of contributing to the enrichment of quality of life around the world. With a strategic focus on oncology, Daiichi Sankyo is advancing an industry-leading antibody drug conjugate portfolio along with identifying new breakthrough generating technologies to deliver practice-changing medicines to patients, healthcare professionals and society. For more information, please visit www.daiichisankyo.com.