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Zymeworks Licenses Lung Cancer Drug to Roche

Zymeworks has licensed its experimental lung cancer drug ZW209 to Roche in a deal worth up to $813m, but only $95m is near-term and the rest depends on clinical success.

Zymeworks (NASDAQ: ZYME), the cancer drug developer, has licensed its experimental lung cancer drug ZW209 to Roche in a deal worth up to $813m. The company announced the exclusive global licence and collaboration agreement at 11am UK time today, before the US open.

The shares have not yet traded on the news. The last price is yesterday’s close of $28.44, up 1.156% on the session before and 14.8% above the $24.77 close on the 14th of October, a rise that came before the announcement.

ZW209 is a T cell engager, a drug that steers the body’s T cells towards cancer cells, aimed at DLL3, a protein found on small cell lung cancer. Zymeworks will run the Phase 1a monotherapy trial, which Roche funds, and Roche then takes over global development and commercialisation. The US regulator has cleared the drug’s investigational application.

The $813m headline is our sum of three pieces: $55m upfront, $40m when the Phase 1b trial starts, and up to $718m of further development, commercial and sales milestones. Tiered royalties, from high single digit to mid-teen percent of global net sales, come on top. Patents run into the 2040s. The deal is also subject to expiry of the US antitrust waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act.

Only $95m is near-term, and $40m of that is conditional on the Phase 1b start. By our calculation, $55m is about 2.7% and $95m about 4.7% of Zymeworks’ market value of roughly $2.0bn at yesterday’s close. Trailing twelve-month revenue is $37.127m.

Line chart of Zymeworks (ZYME.US) daily closing price from late July to 22 October 2026
Zymeworks (ZYME.US) daily close, 20 July to 22 October 2026, US dollars. The Roche deal came after the last close shown.

Boris L. Zaïtra, Head of Corporate Business Development at Roche, the Swiss drugmaker, said of the drug:

ZW209 represents an innovative approach that complements our ongoing efforts to develop new treatment options for people living with lung cancer.

Boris L. Zaïtra, Roche

Zymeworks holds an investor call on Tuesday at 8:30am ET.

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