AstraZeneca (AZN) has signed a global exclusive licence agreement with Dizal to acquire worldwide rights to develop and commercialise Zegfrovy, also known as sunvozertinib.
The deal comprises a $600 million upfront payment to Dizal, with up to $900 million more tied to development, regulatory, and sales-related milestones.
Dizal will also receive tiered royalties on global net sales of Zegfrovy, which could reach low double-digit percentages depending on annual revenue performance.
Zegfrovy is an oral irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor approved in both the United States and China for a specific subset of lung cancer patients.
The drug targets adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer carrying EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, whose disease has progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.
Exon 20 insertion mutations are a genetic fault that drives cancer growth, and patients with this particular error have historically had very limited targeted treatment options available to them.
Approximately one in four patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer carries an exon 20 insertion or other atypical mutation, representing a significant underserved population.
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, accounting for roughly one fifth of all cancer deaths globally each year.
Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 80 to 85 percent of all lung cancer cases, with EGFR-mutated cases representing 10 to 15 percent of patients in the US and Europe and 30 to 40 percent in Asia.
Dizal recently presented positive Phase III data from the WU-KONG28 study of Zegfrovy in the first-line treatment setting, with findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at ASCO 2026.
The drug has received Breakthrough Therapy Designations in the first-line setting in both the US and China, which could accelerate its path to broader clinical use.
Regulatory submissions based on the Phase III data have already been filed in the US and China, potentially expanding the approved patient population significantly if successful.
Xiaolin Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Dizal, said: “Zegfrovy is the only oral targeted therapy for EGFR exon 20 insertion non-small cell lung cancer approved in the US and China for patients following prior systemic therapy.”
Zhang added that AstraZeneca, as a leading global company with a strong lung cancer franchise, will help ensure patients around the world can benefit from this innovation discovered by Dizal scientists in China.
The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances, and does not impact AstraZeneca’s financial guidance for the year.