Abstract Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements are present in about 5–6% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases and associated with increased risks of central nervous system (CNS) involvement. Envonalkib, a novel ALK inhibitor, demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity and safety in advanced ALK-positive NSCLC in the first-in-human phase I study. This phase III trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04009317) investigated the efficacy and safety of first-line envonalkib in advanced ALK-positive NSCLC cases. Totally 264 participants were randomized 1:1 to receive envonalkib (n = 131) or crizotinib (n = 133). Median independent review committee (IRC)-assessed progression-free survival (PFS) times were 24.87 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.64–30.36) and 11.60 (95% CI: 8.28–13.73) months in the envonalkib and crizotinib groups, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.34–0.64, p