Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Stock Price, News & Analysis

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing WEE1 inhibitor treatments for ovarian cancer and other tumors, has granted inducement stock options to a new employee. The Compensation Committee approved non-qualified stock options to purchase 14,000 shares of common stock under the company's 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan.

The stock options were granted at an exercise price of $1.45 per share, matching Zentalis' closing price on the grant date. These options have a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% vesting after the first year and the remaining 75% vesting monthly over the following three years, contingent on continued employment.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (ZNTL) has initiated Part 2 of the Phase 2 DENALI clinical trial for azenosertib in patients with Cyclin E1+ platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). The trial consists of two parts: Part 2a aims to confirm optimal dosing with approximately 30 patients at each of two dose levels (400mg QD 5:2 and 300mg QD 5:2), while Part 2b will enroll about 70 additional patients at the selected dose.

Previous results from Part 1b showed promising outcomes with a 34.9% objective response rate and 6.3-month median duration of response in response-evaluable patients (n=43). The company expects topline data from DENALI Part 2 by year-end 2026, which could potentially support accelerated FDA approval. Zentalis estimates that approximately half of PROC patients overexpress Cyclin E1 protein, making them potential candidates for azenosertib treatment.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) has announced the acceptance of an abstract for poster presentation at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago from May 30 to June 3, 2025. The presentation will showcase clinical data from their ongoing Phase 1/2 trial of azenosertib, their WEE1 inhibitor, in combination with encorafenib and cetuximab for treating patients with metastatic BRAF V600E mutant colorectal cancer.

The poster presentation, titled 'Phase 1 dose escalation results of the WEE1 inhibitor, azenosertib,' will be presented by Dr. Jeanne Tie on Saturday, May 31, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. CDT. The data cutoff date for the presentation is April 4, 2025. The poster will be available on the Zentalis website under the 'Supporting Publications' tab in the 'Our Approach' section.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (ZNTL) has announced the granting of inducement stock options to three newly hired employees on April 1, 2025. The Compensation Committee approved non-qualified stock options to purchase 140,000 shares of common stock under the company's 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan.

The stock options were granted at an exercise price of $1.39 per share, matching the closing price of Zentalis' stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on the grant date. These options have a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% vesting after the first year and the remaining 75% vesting in monthly installments over the following three years, subject to continued employment.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) reported significant progress in 2024 with its lead drug candidate azenosertib. The company presented promising clinical data for treating Cyclin E1+ platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC), showing a 34.9% objective response rate and 6.3-month median duration of response in the DENALI Part 1b study.

Key developments include FDA Fast Track Designation for azenosertib and alignment on DENALI Part 2 study design, with topline data expected by year-end 2026. The company ended 2024 with $371.1 million in cash and equivalents, projecting runway into late 2027.

Financial results show R&D expenses decreased to $167.8 million from $189.6 million in 2023, while G&A expenses increased to $87.1 million from $64.4 million. A strategic restructuring announced in January 2025 aims to support late-stage clinical development of azenosertib.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) announced four poster presentations at the upcoming 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago, scheduled for April 25-30, 2025. The presentations focus on their WEE1 inhibitor, azenosertib, showcasing its potential in cancer treatment.

The posters will highlight:

• Cell-free DNA molecular response as a potential endpoint for measuring azenosertib's efficacy in high-grade serous ovarian cancer patients
• How loss of RB1 sensitizes TP53-mutated cancer cells to WEE1 inhibition by azenosertib
• Azenosertib's broad antitumor activity across various solid tumors
• Synergistic anti-tumor activity when combining azenosertib with encorafenib and cetuximab in BRAFV600E models

The presentations will take place between April 27-29, 2025, and the posters will be accessible through the Supporting Publications section on Zentalis's website.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) has presented updated clinical data from Part 1b of the DENALI trial for azenosertib in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC) patients at the SGO 2025 Annual Meeting. The trial showed an objective response rate (ORR) of 34.9% in response-evaluable patients with Cyclin E1+ PROC tumors, and a median duration of response (mDOR) of 6.3 months.

The Phase 2 single-arm study evaluated azenosertib monotherapy at 400mg QD 5:2 dose in 102 PROC patients. The data demonstrated Cyclin E1 protein overexpression as a predictive biomarker, with approximately 50% of PROC patients overexpressing Cyclin E1. Common treatment-related adverse events included gastrointestinal toxicities and fatigue.

The company plans to initiate DENALI Part 2 in 1H 2025, with topline data expected by year-end 2026. If successful, the trial could support accelerated approval, subject to FDA review.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (ZNTL) has announced new equity grants under its 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan. The company granted one newly hired employee 50,000 non-qualified stock options at an exercise price of $1.92 per share and 25,000 restricted stock units.

The stock options have a 10-year term with a four-year vesting schedule: 25% vesting after the first year and the remaining 75% vesting monthly over three years. The restricted stock units will vest in 25% increments annually over four years. Both grants are contingent on continued employment with Zentalis.

These grants were made in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) as employment inducement awards for individuals not previously employed by Zentalis, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing WEE1 inhibitor treatments for ovarian cancer and other tumor types.