HLB is set to participate in the world’s largest cancer conference, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO 2026), opening on May 29. The company will operate a standalone booth to share clinical data and treatment strategies for its liver and bile duct cancer drug candidates, which are awaiting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, with global stakeholders.
Elevar Therapeutics, HLB’s U.S. subsidiary, plans to present data on the combination therapy of riboceranib + camrelizumab for first-line treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and ‘lirafugratinib’ for cholangiocarcinoma to the international medical community.
At ASCO 2026, Elevate will also showcase a poster presentation on the design and progress of their global Phase 2 trial (ReFocus202) for lirafugratinib in FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement cancers, regardless of tumor type. FGFR2 is a protein receptor crucial for cell growth and differentiation.
This study focuses on precision medicine for patients with FGFR2 fusion or rearrangement genetic mutations, evaluating lirafugratinib’s potential in various locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors, excluding cholangiocarcinoma.
Moreover, ASCO 2026 has selected eight studies related to riboceranib, reinforcing its potential for expanded indications and clinical applications across various treatment scenarios.
A global Phase 3 study combining riboceranib and camrelizumab with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for unresectable HCC has been chosen for oral presentation. The study demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) compared to TACE alone, highlighting the clinical potential of this combination strategy.
TACE is a localized treatment that involves injecting chemotherapy agents into liver tumor blood vessels and blocking blood flow to induce cancer cell death.
In this study, the riboceranib-camrelizumab-TACE combination group showed an improved PFS of 11.1 months versus 8.3 months for TACE alone (HR 0.73), with a positive early trend in overall survival (OS).
As research expands to include cholangiocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, and osteosarcoma, the potential for broadening riboceranib’s indications is gaining attention.
Kim Dong-geun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Elevate Therapeutics, stated that at ASCO 2026, it aims to highlight key clinical data for the riboceranib-camrelizumab combination and lirafugratinib to the global medical community. It’ll also extensively discuss riboceranib’s clinical value and the strategies for expanding its indications.