Hengrui Brings 64 Findings to ESMO 2026 Madrid

Hengrui Pharma will present 64 research findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain, from October 23 to 27. The total sets a record for the Chinese drugmaker, which says it has participated for 11 consecutive years, beginning in 2016. Its programme includes three Proffered Paper sessions, three Rapid Oral presentations, 32 posters and 26 e-posters, covering more than ten cancer areas and oncology supportive care.

The Pipeline on Show

Two independently developed antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) earned Proffered Paper presentations. One is HER2-targeted trastuzumab rezetecan (SHR-A1811), featured in HORIZON-Breast06, a randomized phase 3 study of HER2-low advanced breast cancer led by Academician Binghe Xu of the Cancer Hospital at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Hengrui says it is developing the drug for more than ten indications, and that it ranks among the innovative medicines with the most breakthrough therapy designations in China.

The other ADC, HER3-targeted ruzaltatug rezetecan (SHR-A2009), anchors the company’s lung cancer programme. Interim analyses from HERON-Lung01, a phase 3 trial comparing the drug with platinum-based chemotherapy, involve patients with EGFR-mutated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer whose disease progressed after EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) treatment. Professor Yi-Long Wu of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital leads the trial; Chongrui Xu of the same hospital will present at the October 26 session in Alicante Auditorium.

Regulatory Track Record

The lung cancer findings come as the drug advances through regulatory review. In July 2026, following positive HERON-Lung01 results, China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) accepted a marketing application for ruzaltatug rezetecan. The application seeks approval to treat adults with EGFR-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous NSCLC that progressed after EGFR-TKI therapy. A separate Phase III trial in China is testing the drug alongside an EGFR TKI as a first-line treatment. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for patients whose disease progressed after a third-generation EGFR-TKI and platinum-based chemotherapy.

Other listed work includes HRS-4642, Hengrui’s independently developed KRAS G12D inhibitor, which researchers are testing as perioperative therapy for KRAS G12D-mutant pancreatic cancer. Chenlei Wen of Ruijin Hospital will present preliminary phase 2 results. The CDE of the NMPA has already granted the drug breakthrough therapy designation for first-line advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer with that mutation. Additional entries examine camrelizumab in locally advanced rectal cancer, SHR-A2102 in recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer, and rivoceranib in pretreated metastatic thymic epithelial tumors.

What the Company Says

Jo Feng, President and COO of Hengrui Pharma, called the congress a milestone. "This year marks the eleventh time we have participated in ESMO, with 64 research presentations - a new record for Hengrui," Feng said. "We look forward to sharing our latest advances in innovative drug development, presenting clinical evidence demonstrating meaningful benefits for patients, and bringing more Chinese innovation to benefit patients worldwide." Hengrui will also host an exhibition booth for the second consecutive year, after first doing so in 2025. Its R&D and innovation teams will attend to meet oncology experts.

The company has a substantial wider footprint. By June 2026, Hengrui had launched 14 independently developed Class 1 innovative medicines in China, including AiRuiKa® (Camrelizumab for Injection), HengQu® (Herombopag Olamine Tablets) and AiWeiDa® (Trastuzumab Rezetecan for Injection). Founded in 1970, Hengrui identifies oncology as one of its core strategic business areas, alongside metabolic, cardiovascular, immunological, respiratory and neuroscience programmes.

Why This Matters:

Hengrui’s ESMO submissions offer a useful measure of how far Chinese drug developers have shifted from licensing foreign molecules to producing their own clinical evidence. The figures—64 findings, 119 accepted between 2023 and 2025, and 14 domestically developed Class 1 launches—point in one direction. For European oncologists and payers meeting in Madrid, the practical question is whether phase 3 data such as HERON-Lung01 will hold up across populations and reimbursement systems. Beijing and Washington regulators are already acting on the lung cancer drug, so the evidence will face real scrutiny. Can European health systems absorb a growing stream of Chinese-origin therapies without weakening their own review standards? That question deserves a clear answer.