Zion Pharma Announces Global Agreement with Roche to Develop and Commercialize a Blood Brain Barrier Penetrant Oral HER2 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor
9.5.2023 09:00:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Zion Pharma Limited, a Chinese biotechnology company focused on the development of brain-penetrable compounds, today announced that Roche has acquired the global rights to Zion’s lead program, ZN-A-1041. ZN-A-1041 is an orally administered selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2). ZN-A-1041 was designed to be blood-brain-barrier-penetrant, and has the potential to treat or prevent the onset of brain metastases in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. Up to 50% of patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer will develop brain metastasis during the course of the disease.
"Our agreement with Roche is the culmination of a tremendous team effort to deliver a potentially best-in-class therapy for patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, particularly in the field of brain metastasis by virtue of the high blood-brain barrier permeability of this asset,” stated Zack Cheng, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Zion Pharma Limited. “Within five years, we have gone from company formation to first-in-human, to finding a partner in Roche, who has the resources and expertise to bring ZN-A-1041 to patients with few other therapeutic options,” Dr. Cheng continued.
Dr. Ding Zhou, Ph.D., CSO and Co-Founder of Zion Pharma Limited added, “We are pleased that Roche recognizes the potential of our asset for advancing the standard of care with regards to brain penetrable compounds in HER2-positive breast cancer.”
“We are excited to enter this partnership with Zion to further develop this innovative treatment option for people with HER2-positive breast cancer. This partnership builds on Roche’s legacy and expertise in the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer and supports our pursuit of advancing science by combining external innovation with our in-house capabilities to address areas of high unmet patient needs,” said James Sabry, Global Head of Pharma Partnering.
After a transition period, Roche will be responsible for the further development, manufacturing, and commercialization of ZN-A-1041 globally. Zion will receive up to $70 million USD in upfront and near-term milestone payments pending achievement of certain milestone events. Zion will also be eligible for up to $610 million USD in additional payments following achievement of certain development, regulatory, and sales-based milestone events by ZN-A-1041, as well as tiered royalties on sales.
About ZN-A-1041
ZN-A-1041 is an orally administered selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2). ZN-A-1041 was designed to be blood-brain-barrier-penetrant. The ongoing Phase 1 trial is being conducted at multiple sites in the U.S. and China. Additional details will be presented at the poster sessions during the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in June 2023.
About Zion Pharma Limited
Zion Pharma is a private, clinical stage biotech company focused on the development of novel, small molecule, anti-tumoral agents. Founded in 2018, the company’s research headquarters are in Suzhou with additional research operations in Shanghai. The company is applying an innovative drug discovery approach, capitalizing on its DMPK expertise, to develop a pipeline of proprietary first-in-class/best-in-class compounds focused on therapeutic targets which drive tumor inhibition, including ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), Kirsten RAt Sarcoma (KRAS G12D) and SMARCA2 (BRM). Additional information about Zion Pharma is available at www.zionpharma.com.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230508005468/en/
Contact information
For media and partnership inquiries:
J. Michael French
SVP, Corporate Development
michael.french@zionpharma.com
+1.703.338.1972
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Smartstream Smart Agents Delivers 70% Reduction in Back-Office Investigation Time, Proving the Case for Autonomous Operations26.3.2026 11:30:00 EET | Press release
Smartstream, the trusted data solutions provider for leading global financial institutions and enterprises, today announces that Smart Agents - its agentic AI solution for bank back-office operations is delivering measurable, transformational impact, with pilot results showing a 70% reduction in investigation time per user, per break. As the industry accelerates toward a service as software (SaS) operating model, and allowing more work to get done from software solutions, Smartstream is embracing this approach with agentic AI. The results validate a fundamental shift in how financial institutions approach exception management. In one benchmark scenario, the manual processing of 500 exceptions, typically requiring 116 hours of team effort, was reduced to just a few hours under fully autonomous operations. This eliminates swivel-chair workflows and frees up teams to focus on risk oversight, decision making, and higher-value activities. Institutions continue to struggle with back-office w
Hytera Introduces PNC660 450MHz: New Device Certified for Power and Energy Mission-Critical Networks26.3.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Hytera Communications, a leading global provider of critical communications technologies and solutions, unveiled the PNC660 450MHz MCX Smart Device – an advanced mission-critical terminal for private 450MHz LTE and 5G networks at MWC Barcelona. Combining broadband voice, video, and data services with multi-layer security, the PNC660 450MHz enables reliable communications across wide operational areas while supporting evolving mission-critical broadband needs. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260325346069/en/ Hytera PNC660 450MHz MCX Smart Device for mission-critical 450 MHz networks. The device has also been whitelisted by 450connect, validating its compatibility with dedicated 450MHz broadband networks and readiness for commercial deployment for power, energy providers, and other critical infrastructure. Wide-Area Coverage with Dedicated 450MHz Networks The 450MHz spectrum offers excellent propagation and buil
Infobip Supports Thousands of Startups and Scaleups Through Startup Tribe Programme26.3.2026 11:00:00 EET | Press release
Global AI-first cloud communications platform Infobip, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has supported thousands of startups and scaleups from over 120 countries in the first five years of its Startup Tribe Programme. Infobip launched its Startup Tribe Programme in May 2021 to help mission-driven startups and scaleups to build and manage their customer communications and engagement strategy and grow their business. It does this by providing access up to $60,000 in credits for Infobip’s services and its global network of advisors, investors, and accelerators. In the first five year, Infobip has provided millions in the value of products and services to its programme members. By eliminating the need to build a global communications infrastructure from the ground up, Infobip’s programme enables startups and scaleups to focus on what really matters: developing their product and scaling their business. Startup Tribe member Ilija Milovic, Co-Founder & CTO at cloud property
LTM Positioned as a Leader in ISG’s Provider Lens™ Evaluation for Oracle Cloud and Technology Ecosystem 202526.3.2026 10:58:00 EET | Press release
LTM, the Business Creativity partner to the world’s largest enterprises, has been recognized as a Leader in multiple quadrants in the ISG Provider Lens™ Oracle Cloud and Technology Ecosystem 2025 reports for both the United States and Europe by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm. The ISG Provider Lens™ study evaluates leading Oracle ecosystem service providers across critical capability areas, including: Professional Services Managed Services OCI Solutions and Capabilities LTM’s positioning as a Leader across key quadrants in both regions reflects its strong Oracle ecosystem expertise, AI-led transformation approach, and proven track record in delivering large-scale enterprise cloud modernization programs. In its 2025 study, ISG highlights that the Oracle ecosystem is undergoing a fundamental shift toward AI-native architectures, multicloud-by-design strategies, and asset-based delivery models, with sovereignty and regulatory compli
Bureau Veritas Strengthens Global Sustainable Finance Capabilities with Expanded Climate Bonds Approved Verifier Status26.3.2026 09:30:00 EET | Press release
Bureau Veritas, a global leader in Testing, Inspection, and Certification services (TIC), is pleased to announce the expansion of its geographical scope as an Approved Verifier under the Climate Bonds Standard and Certification Scheme. Additional offices in China, Japan, India, and France are now formally listed in the Climate Bonds Verifiers Directory. This expansion builds on Bureau Veritas’ established role since the approval of its Brazilian office in 2020, further enhancing its ability to support issuers with high-quality, independent verification services across key markets. “Our expanded presence as an Approved Verifier under the Climate Bonds Standard reinforces Bureau Veritas’ commitment to advancing credible, high‑integrity sustainable finance”, said Marc Roussel, Executive Vice President, Urbanization and Assurance at Bureau Veritas. “With verifier capabilities available across key markets, we continue to deliver local expertise with global assurance standards; boosting mark
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom