0953 GMT - Chinese biotechnology companies are likely to make significant progress in certain cancer treatments over the next two years, HSBC Qianhai analysts say in a report. The biotech sector's strides in drug innovation have attracted multinational corporations to sign licensing deals, they say. This likely helped boost the Hang Seng Biotech Index, a gauge of Hong Kong's 50 largest biotech companies, which is up 91% year to date compared with the benchmark Hang Seng Index's 26% rise, they add. Within the sector, HSBC prefers Akeso and Innovent. The former's lung-cancer drug has been likened to the sector's DeepSeek moment after a study found it more effective than current treatments, and could launch in the U.S. ahead of its peers, the analysts say. Meanwhile, the latter's therapy shows promising antitumor signals in certain cancers. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 01, 2025 05:53 ET (09:53 GMT)

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