Zymeworks licenses experimental lung cancer drug to Roche in up to $813 million deal
Zymeworks licenses experimental lung cancer drug to Roche in up to $813 million deal By Sahil Pandey
Oct 23 (Reuters) - Zymeworks ZYME.O said on Friday Roche ROPC.S has gained rights to develop and commercialize its experimental lung cancer drug under a global licensing deal worth up to $813 million.
Zymeworks will receive $55 million upfront and an additional $40 million when the Swiss drugmaker begins a planned dose-optimization study of the drug ZW209
Roche will take over the development of the treatment after Zymeworks completes the dose-escalation portion of an ongoing early-stage study
The company said the drug targets DLL3, a protein commonly found on small-cell lung cancer cells but rarely seen in healthy tissue
Roche has agreed to partner on ZW209 before efficacy data were available because of "the innovation and differentiation in our trispecific T-cell engager platform," Zymeworks CEO Kenneth Galbraith told Reuters
The first patient is expected to be enrolled before the end of 2026, Galbraith said
The company said it could receive up to $718 million in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, in addition to tiered royalties on future sales
(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)
((Sahil.Pandey@thomsonreuters.com;))
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