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
DEWA Signs Three Agreements With Global Partners During WETEX 202628.10.2026 16:50:00 EET | Press release
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) signed three agreements with leading global entities during the 28th Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX 2026). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028187355/en/ DEWA signs three agreements with global partners during WETEX 2026 (Photo: AETOSWire) In the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD&CEO of DEWA, the agreements were signed by Hussain Lootah, Executive Vice President of Transmission Power at DEWA, and concluded through Moro Hub, a subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of DEWA. Al Tayer said: “We are committed to strengthening our strategic partnerships with leading global organisations and leveraging the latest technologies, solutions and best practices. This enables us to enhance the efficiency, resilience and future-readiness of our critical infrastructure, while keeping pace with advancements in cyber security, digital tra
Ras Al Khaimah Signs Landmark Friendship Agreement & 10 MoUs during Historic High-Level Tour of South China28.10.2026 15:48:00 EET | Press release
His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, witnesses the signing of a historic agreement between Ras Al Khaimah and Fujian Province, China, concluding a six-day China visit. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028878989/en/ His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, witnessed the signing of a landmark agreement between Ras Al Khaimah and Fujian Province, alongside 10 Memoranda of Understanding between entities from the Emirate and their Chinese counterparts, reflecting a shared commitment to broadening cooperation and translating longstanding relations into meaningful opportunities for the future. (Photo: AETOSWire) Signed in Fuzhou, the agreement establishes a framework for strengthening economic, maritime and cultural ties, including cooperation in green supply chains, port logistics, sustainabl
Media Release: Further Up – Allianz Reaches Highest-Ever Brand Value of $30.7 Billion28.10.2026 15:08:00 EET | Press release
A steady climb to a new high: For the eighth consecutive year, Allianz is the world’s most valuable insurance brand and has reached a record $30.7 billion in brand value, lifting it one place to No. 26 in Interbrand’s Best Global Brands 2026 ranking. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028268225/en/ #1 Global Insurance Brand This 9% increase on 2025 further narrows the gap to the world’s most valuable consumer and tech brands, among them Coca-Cola, Disney and Adobe. The upward trajectory is backed by strong business growth and financial performance as well as a global brand strategy that is built on trust and distinguished with customer relevance and care. Oliver Bäte, Chief Executive Officer of Allianz SE, said: "In a highly competitive brand landscape, we have maintained our momentum by focusing on what matters most to our customers: their health and personal finances. Our strong business fundamentals and con
Seoul Semiconductor Ends Need for Rare Earths in White LEDs28.10.2026 15:03:00 EET | Press release
For three decades, white LEDs have depended on rare earth materials such as yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) layered onto a blue LED chip (Figure 1). Seoul Viosys Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 092190) today announced that it has broken that dependence. It has developed and begun mass producing a chip that emits white light without rare earths. The chip can be as small as 10 micrometers (µm). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261028475699/en/ Figure 1. New invention: white WICOP 3 (source: Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd.) Seoul Viosys and its parent company Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 046890) opened the micro LED market with WICOP. WICOP is a chip architecture that eliminates the package altogether. Doing away with the package is widely regarded in the industry as a revolution in six decades of semiconductor history. With WICOP, the two companies have already developed and mass produced ultraviolet, blue, green, red a
Gurobi’s 2026 State of Mathematical Optimization Report Reveals Growing Convergence of AI and Optimization28.10.2026 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Gurobi Optimization, LLC, the leader in decision intelligence technology, today announced the release of its 2026 State of Mathematical Optimization Report. Based on a survey of 382 non-academic professionals across industries, the report examines how businesses are putting optimization to work, and how its use is evolving alongside other AI technologies. In a notable shift, 79% of respondents now use GenAI or large language models (LLMs) in their optimization work, up from 30% in 2025, with 37% using these tools systematically in their development workflows. Respondents see the greatest potential for this combined approach in code generation and debugging (68%), model formulation (67%), and natural-language interaction with optimization models (62%). Other key findings include: Optimization is becoming part of everyday operations: 52% of respondents say optimization supports ongoing decision-making at their organization, and 45% run it automatically in production workflows. Demand for
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