Dizal grants AstraZeneca worldwide Zegfrovy rights in up to $1.5 billion deal

Dizal has agreed to give AstraZeneca exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib), its oral EGFR inhibitor for certain lung cancer patients, in a deal worth $600 million upfront and up to $900 million in milestone payments, plus tiered royalties on global sales. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearances. Zegfrovy is already approved in China and the U.S. for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, carrying EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations after progression on or after platinum-based chemotherapy. Dizal said it has also submitted a Supplemental New Drug Application for first-line use to China’s Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), supported by Phase III WU-KONG28 data presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting and published in The New England Journal of Medicine. Both regulators have granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation (expedited review status) to Zegfrovy in that setting. The companies are targeting a patient population with limited treatment options. Dizal said about 80-85% of lung cancer cases globally are NSCLC, while EGFR mutations are found in about 10-15% of NSCLC patients in the U.S. and Europe and 30-40% in Asia. Roughly one in four patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC has an exon 20 insertion mutation or another atypical mutation. Dizal Chief Executive Officer Dr. Xiaolin Zhang said Zegfrovy is the only oral targeted therapy for EGFR exon 20 insertion NSCLC approved in the U.S. and China for patients following prior systemic therapy. AstraZeneca Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology Business Unit, Dave Fredrickson said the company aims to add the drug to its EGFR-mutated lung cancer portfolio and expand access globally.