ASH 2025 | Ascentage Pharma Presents Encouraging Data from Phase Ib/II Study of Bcl-2 Inhibitor Lisaftoclax in Venetoclax–Exposed Patients with Myeloid Malignances

• Preliminary clinical evidence of Lisaftoclax overcoming venetoclax resistance in myeloid malignancies with a 31.8% overall response rate(ORR) in this subgroup of patients
• 80% ORR achieved in newly diagnosed high-risk MDS/CMML
• Strong safety profile with no dose-limiting toxicities across all patient cohorts in 103-patient study
  

ROCKVILLE, Md. and SUZHOU, China, Dec. 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ascentage Pharma Group International (NASDAQ: AAPG; HKEX: 6855), a global, commercial stage, integrated biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, differentiated therapies to address unmet medical needs in cancer, announced that it presented the latest results from a Phase Ib/II study of Lisaftoclax (APG-2575), a key investigational drug candidate in the Company’s pipeline, in combination with azacitidine (AZA) in patients with newly diagnosed or prior venetoclax–exposed myeloid malignancies in a poster presentation at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, being held in Orlando, Florida.

The ASH Annual Meeting is one of the largest gatherings of the international hematology community, aggregating cutting-edge scientific research and the latest data on investigational therapies that represent leading scientific and clinical advances in the global hematology field. Once again, Ascentage Pharma’s innovative pipeline has garnered significant attention at this year’s conference, with results from multiple clinical and preclinical studies on three of the Company’s drug candidates (Olverembatinib, Lisaftoclax, and APG-5918) selected for presentations, including an oral report featuring a study on Lisaftoclax.

Data featured in the report further validated the therapeutic potential and favorable tolerability profile of Lisaftoclax in myeloid malignancies, including treatment responses from venetoclax–resistant patients. These results underscore Lisaftoclax’s distinct clinical value that is differentiated from other drugs in the same class.

Lisaftoclax is a novel, orally administered Bcl-2 selective inhibitor developed by Ascentage Pharma. It exerts antitumor effect by selectively blocking the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and restoring the normal apoptosis process in cancer cells. Lisaftoclax is approved in China for adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) who have previously received at least one systemic therapy, including Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. Ascentage Pharma is currently conducting four global registrational Phase III studies to evaluate Lisaftoclax in multiple indications, including CLL/SLL, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).