Ascentage Pharma announced that Chairman and CEO Dr. Dajun Yang has been selected for The Medicine Maker Power List 2026. The publication ranked him No. 3 in the Top 10 leaders in the Small Molecules category.
The list recognizes influential leaders across biopharma, small molecule drug development and advanced therapies annually. Nominations were made by industry peers around the world. A panel of expert judges chose the final honorees.
This year’s 2026 list features 60 leaders who continue to advance drug discovery, pharmaceutical innovation, manufacturing excellence and access to innovative medicines.
Moreover, Ascentage Pharma received recognition for its continued contribution to oncology drug development and targeted cancer therapies.
Dr. Yang’s Leadership Fuels Innovation in Oncology
The Medicine Maker is the global magazine for the pharmaceutical industry, covering everything from drug discovery to CMC development, industrialization and commercialization. Its Power List has become a respected benchmark for leadership and industry impact over the years.
The publication featured the following profile of Dr. Dajun Yang: “Dajun co-founded Ascentage Pharma in 2009 and has spent more than 30 years working in oncology, apoptosis pathways, and innovative drug development. Under his leadership, Ascentage has advanced a pipeline of small molecule cancer therapies with global first- and best-in-class potential, including olverembatinib, the first third-generation BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved in China. In July 2025, Ascentage secured approval in China for lisaftoclax in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma, making it only the second Bcl-2 inhibitor approved anywhere in the world since venetoclax in 2016. Dajun is now leading several global Phase III programs, including studies of olverembatinib and lisaftoclax across hematologic cancers and solid tumors, while also advancing newer approaches such as targeted protein degradation.”
For more than three decades, Dr. Yang has focused on addressing unmet medical needs through precision oncology, apoptosis-targeted therapies, and innovative small molecule research.
Global Phase III Programs Continue to Expand
Under Dr. Yang’s leadership, Ascentage Pharma commercialized two innovative therapies, olverembatinib and lisaftoclax. Both therapies addressed important treatment gaps in clinical oncology.
Currently, the company is advancing multiple global registrational Phase III clinical studies. Four of these studies have received clearance from both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
In addition, lisaftoclax remains the only Bcl-2 inhibitor under evaluation in a global registrational Phase III study for patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
The company also completed one of the largest business development transactions involving an innovative small molecule company in China. Following its Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing in 2019 and its Nasdaq listing in 2025, Ascentage Pharma became the first biopharmaceutical company to achieve dual primary listings by listing first in Hong Kong and later in the United States.
Dr. Dajun Yang stated: “I am honored to be included in The Medicine Maker Power List 2026. This recognition is not only a personal honor, but also a recognition of the Ascentage Pharma team’s longstanding dedication to global innovation in small molecule drug discovery. Developing innovative medicines is a long-term endeavor. We will continue to address unmet medical needs worldwide by advancing our apoptosis-targeted innovation pipeline, accelerating our global development efforts, and bringing more innovative medicines to patients around the world.”
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News Source: GlobeNewswire.com
