Agreement with Dizal Pharmaceutical gives the pharmaceutical giant access to the only approved oral targeted therapy for EGFR exon 20 insertion NSCLC in both the US and China.

AstraZeneca is licensing Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib), an innovative lung cancer drug from China’s Dizal Pharmaceutical for $1.5 billion.

This agreement enables AstraZeneca to build out its portfolio of EGFR-targeting medicines.

Dr Xiaolin Zhang, Chief Executive Officer of Dizal added: “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.”

Alongside regulatory approval, the novel oral irreversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor has shown Phase III promise. Data from the WU-KONG28 Phase III trial support Zegfrovy as a first line treatment for advanced NSCLC harbouring EGFR exon20ins. These findings were presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting.

Through the agreement, AstraZeneca will acquire worldwide rights to develop and commercialise Zegfrovy globally, paying Dizal $600 million upfront plus milestone payments of up to $900 million if achieved, as well as royalties.

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said the agreement brings “a differentiated, oral targeted treatment to these patients with limited options across the globe.”

[The licensing agreement between AstraZeneca and Dizal Pharmaceutical] brings a differentiated, oral targeted treatment to these patients with limited options across the globe”

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology Business Unit, AstraZeneca

The deal is expected to be finalised in H2 of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.

Alongside this new the agreement with Dizal, AstraZeneca’s portfolio includes Tagrisso (gefitinib), Imfinzi (durvalumab), Enhertu (trastuzumab deruxtecan) and Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan) in collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo.

Meanwhile, separate to its drug development efforts, AstraZeneca is investing $15 billion through to the end of the decade into its manufacturing and R&D activities in China.

In March, Novartis also advanced its oncology portfolio via a $3 billion acquisition of Pikavation Therapeutics. Under the deal, the firm gains rights to a portfolio of investigational PI3Kα inhibitors for breast cancer.

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