NEW YORK & SAN DIEGO, July 27, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNTL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule therapeutics targeting fundamental biological pathways of cancers, today announced a clinical collaboration agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY, “Lilly”) 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.

About ZN-c5

Zentalis’ lead product candidate, ZN-c5, is an oral, small molecule SERD being developed for the treatment of ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Zentalis is currently conducting a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ZN-c5 in patients with ER+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer, both as a monotherapy and in combination with palbociclib (marketed as Ibrance^® by Pfizer) as part of a clinical collaboration with Pfizer.

About Verzenio^® (abemaciclib)

Lilly’s Verzenio (abemaciclib) is an FDA-approved inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases CDK4 and 6, which are activated by binding to D-cyclins. Verzenio is indicated for the treatment of HR+/HER2- advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor for postmenopausal women as initial endocrine-based therapy; or in combination with fulvestrant for women with disease progression following endocrine therapy; or as a single agent for adult patients with disease progression following endocrine therapy and prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting.

About Zentalis

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule therapeutics targeting fundamental biological pathways of cancers. The Company is developing a broad pipeline of potentially best-in-class oncology candidates, including ZN-c5, an oral selective estrogen receptor degrader (SERD) for ER+/HER2- breast cancer, ZN-c3, a WEE1 inhibitor, ZN-d5, a BCL-2 inhibitor and ZN-e4, an EGFR inhibitor. Zentalis has operations in both New York and San Diego.

For more information, please visit www.zentalis.com. Follow Zentalis on social media: @ZentalisP and LinkedIn.