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
Imagine Dragons to Perform at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix21.5.2026 18:51:00 EEST | Press release
Ethara, organiser of the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, have announced that one of the world’s biggest bands, Imagine Dragons, will headline the Saturday After-Race Concerts at the F1 Season Finale in Abu Dhabi. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521214839/en/ Imagine Dragons to perform at Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Photo: AETOSWire) The announcement is another landmark moment for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, whose thrilling Yasalam presented by e& fan entertainment offering has become synonymous with the F1 Championship finale in Abu Dhabi and is recognised as one of the most compelling sports and entertainment crossovers globally. The global chart-toppers join Lewis Capaldi and Zara Larsson, who are set to kick off a blockbuster line-up of performances on Yas Island on Thursday, 3 December, with more major international artists to be revealed. With their popular top hits, Ima
Otovo Hits 30,000 Customers in Under a Year, Tackling the Growing ‘Solar Service Crisis’21.5.2026 17:25:00 EEST | Press release
Otovo ASA (“Otovo”), a leading global energy service provider for residential and commercial customers, today announced it has reached 30,000 customers across the U.S. and Europe. A total of 20,000 customers have enrolled in Otovo Care, the Company’s membership-based home and commercial energy service, which is powered by Otovo’s industry-leading AI platform, Endurance™. “Reaching 30,000 customers in less than year is proof positive that home and business owners value their power systems,” said William J. (John) Berger, CEO of Otovo. “The ‘solar service crisis’ that is leaving millions of orphaned energy systems without support is driving strong interest in our Otovo Care membership program. Every day your home or commercial power system is not working, you are throwing money away. Otovo’s rapid response service platform keeps you up and running, ensuring your investment is delivering.” The rapid growth of the residential solar market created a growing population of “orphaned” solar sy
Carnegie Mellon University and Cleveland Clinic Develop AI System to Interpret Cardiac MRI Scans with Enhanced Accuracy21.5.2026 15:05:00 EEST | Press release
A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of interpreting some of the most complex heart scans in medicine, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), without the need for manually labeled training data. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521762286/en/ A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic’s Cardiovascular Innovation Research Center, has developed an artificial intelligence (AI) system capable of interpreting some of the most complex heart scans in medicine, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), without the need for manually labeled training data. The novel system, called CMR-CLIP, is designed to interpret cardiac MRI scans by connecting moving images of the heart with corresponding clinical radio
The Live Moment Effect: Genius Sports and MediaScience Study Finds Specific Moments in Live Sports Can Double Unaided Brand Recall21.5.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Genius Sports Limited (NYSE: GENI), a global leader in real-time sports data, today released new biometric research conducted with MediaScience showing that ads delivered immediately after emotionally heightened moments in live sports can double unaided brand recall. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260521475265/en/ The Live Moment Effect report from Genius Sports and MediaScience. The study, The Live Moment Effect, finds that advertising effectiveness is significantly influenced by a viewer’s emotional state immediately before an ad is shown. In controlled biometric testing, ads shown after high-intensity sporting moments, such as near-scoring plays or crucial momentum shifts, delivered approximately double the unaided brand recall of baseline conditions. The Moment Before the Ad Matters The research challenges long-held assumptions about media value, showing that not all impressions are equal. Live sports rem
Merck Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 3 Study for Investigational Antibody-Drug Conjugate in Colorectal Cancer21.5.2026 15:00:00 EEST | Press release
Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 3 PROCEADE®-CRC-03 trial (NCT07549412). The study is evaluating precemtabart tocentecan (Precem‑TcT), a potential first‑in‑class investigational anti‑CEACAM5 antibody‑drug conjugate (ADC), for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). “Leveraging our novel payload‑linker technology, Precem‑TcT is the first CEACAM5‑targeted ADC in clinical studies with an exatecan payload, rationally designed for stability and enhanced cancer cell killing activity,” said David Weinreich, MD, MBA, Global Head of R&D and Chief Medical Officer for the Healthcare business of Merck. “The Phase 3 study and the enrollment of the first patient with Precem-TcT build on the Company’s more than 20 years of expertise in colorectal cancer, and highlight our commitment to advancing differentiated ADCs for heavily pretreated patients with limited treatment options.” The PROCEADE®-CRC-03 study
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