AstraZeneca has entered into an exclusive license agreement with China-based Dizal Pharmaceutical for Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib), a novel oral irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor for patients with lung cancer. AstraZeneca will acquire worldwide rights to develop and commercialise Zegfrovy.
Zegfrovy is approved in the US and China for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy.
AstraZeneca will make an upfront payment to Dizal of $600 million and additional payments of up to $900 million upon achievement of specific development, regulatory and sales-related milestones. Additionally, Dizal will receive tiered royalties on the global sales of Zegfrovy.
Approximately 80-85% of lung cancer patients globally have NSCLC. About 10-15% of NSCLC patients in the US and Europe, and 30-40% of patients in Asia, have EGFR-mutated (EGFRm) NSCLC. Roughly one in four patients with EGFRm NSCLC has a tumour with an exon 20 insertion mutation or other atypical mutation for which targeted treatment options are limited.
