AstraZeneca has strengthened its oncology portfolio by acquiring the global rights to Zegfrovy (sunvozertinib) from China's Dizal Pharmaceutical in a deal worth up to $1.5 billion, underscoring the UK drugmaker's continued investment in innovative therapies emerging from China.

Under the licensing agreement, AstraZeneca will pay $600 million upfront, with up to $900 million in additional payments tied to development, regulatory and commercial milestones. 

Dizal will also receive tiered royalties on global sales while AstraZeneca assumes worldwide responsibility for developing and commercialising the oral targeted therapy.

Zegfrovy is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor approved in both the United States and Chinafor adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harbouring EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, whose disease has progressed following platinum-based chemotherapy.

The acquisition gives AstraZeneca a commercial-stage oncology asset with significant growth potential. Dizal reported approximately $83.4 million in Zegfrovy sales in 2025, representing an 85% year-on-year increase, driven largely by the drug's accelerated approval in the US in July 2025. The therapy was first approved in China in August 2023.

The deal also positions AstraZeneca to compete in the first-line treatment setting. Regulatory applications have already been submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and China's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) seeking approval for first-line use based on positive results from the global WU-KONG28 Phase III trial.

The study demonstrated that Zegfrovy significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with platinum-based doublet chemotherapy in patients with EGFR exon 20 insertion-mutated NSCLC. 

The findings were presented as a late-breaking oral presentation at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Currently, Johnson & Johnson's Rybrevant (amivantamab), administered in combination with chemotherapy, is the only approved first-line treatment for this patient population.

Dave Fredrickson, Executive Vice President, Oncology Haematology Business Unit, AstraZeneca, said, "AstraZeneca is a leader in treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer, and we are eager to add Zegfrovy to our world-class portfolio of innovative medicines for patients whose tumours carry exon 20 insertion mutations. With this agreement, we will bring a differentiated, oral targeted treatment to these patients with limited options across the globe."