Zentalis Pharmaceuticals Enters into Clinical Collaboration with Eli Lilly

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced a clinical collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company in which Zentalis will evaluate the combination of ZN-c5, the Company’s oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) product candidate, and Verzenio (abemaciclib), Lilly’s CDK4 and 6 inhibitor, in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced breast cancer.

“This is a new, separate study, that allows us to evaluate the potential of our compound in combination with Lilly’s CDK4 and 6 inhibitor,” commented Dr. Anthony Sun, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals. “Among its approved indications, abemaciclib is prescribed in combination with hormonal therapy, including fulvestrant, the only FDA-approved SERD, to treat patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer following endocrine therapy. We have designed ZN-c5 to overcome the limitations of existing hormonal therapies, potentially improving outcomes for breast cancer patients.”

Under the terms of the non-exclusive collaboration, Zentalis is responsible for conducting the study with Lilly providing all required doses of abemaciclib. Zentalis maintains full ownership of ZN-c5.