Michelle Yu Xia is a Chinese-American businesswoman, the cofounder, chairwoman and CEO of China-based biotech firm Akeso (HKSE: 9926). Akeso develops multiple approved drugs in China to treat cancer.

Xia worked in research and at U.S. biotech firms for a dozen years starting in the mid-1990s and obtained U.S. citizenship while in America. Akeso's shares surged after one of its drugs, ivonescimab, outperformed Merck's bestseller Keytruda in a head-to-head Phase 3 trial in 2024.

• Core Company: Akeso (Biotech firm).
• Key Drug: Ivonescimab, which outperformed Merck's Keytruda in a trial.
• Prior Experience: Worked at U.S. biotech firms and obtained U.S. citizenship.

Michelle Yu Xia’s career is defined by her deep scientific and international experience. After working in the U.S. biotech sector for over a decade, she co-founded Akeso, guiding it to develop multiple approved cancer treatments.

Her structural achievement is developing a cutting-edge drug pipeline, highlighted by the success of ivonescimab. Akeso licensed this promising drug to Miami-based Summit Therapeutics in 2022 for markets including the U.S., Europe and Japan, demonstrating global reach.