Dizal's Golidocitinib in Combination with Anti-PD-1 Shows Promise in IO Resistant Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Golidocitinib is a JAK1 only inhibitor approved for the treatment of relapsed or refractory PTCL
• The combination of golidocitinib and PD-1 antibody showed synergistic anti-tumor effects in anti-PD-1-resistant NSCLC

SHANGHAI, March 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dizal (SSE: 688192), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing novel medicines for the treatment of cancer and immunological diseases, today announced new findings on golidocitinib, a first-in-class Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) only inhibitor, in combination with PD-1 antibodies for patients who have progressed on anti-PD-1 therapy. The details of the trial design and clinical results will be presented at the 2025 European Lung Cancer Congress (ELCC 2025) in Paris, March 26-29.

Recent studies showed that the dysregulated activation of the JAK/STAT pathway, which leads to the prolonged release of IFN-γ, is a significant contributor to the resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer immunotherapy. Preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that the combination of JAK inhibitors with PD-1 immunotherapy can reverse or delay onset of immunotherapy resistance by modulating the JAK/STAT pathway in Hodgkin's lymphoma and NSCLC. Golidocitinib has shown excellent clinical benefits by effectively inhibiting the JAK/STAT pathway, leading to its approval for the treatment of relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (r/r PTCL) in China. Preclinical studies also show that the combination of Golidocitinib and PD-1 antibody has synergistic potentials for anti-tumor effects.

Building on these findings, an exploratory phase Ib clinical study combining golidocitinib with PD-1 antibodies was designed to explore the synergistic effects of this combined regimen in NSCLC patients who have failed from anti-PD-1 containing regimens. This study will enroll 30 locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC patients who have previously received anti-PD-1 monotherapy or anti-PD-1 therapy with platinum-containing chemotherapy regimens.

"Immunotherapy alone or with chemotherapy is commonly used as front line treatment for NSCLC patients without driver mutations. Unfortunately, resistance is inevitable and once the disease progresses, the prognosis is poor and treatment option is limited." said Xiaolin Zhang, PhD, CEO of Dizal. "The findings we are presenting at ELCC 2025 highlight the potential for Golidocitinib-based combination regimen to delay or overcome the resistance. The preliminary results are very promising and justify further clinical validation."

In addition to the golidocitinib-based combination therapy, positive results from a Phase II study of sunvozertinib in combination with Anlotinib will also be presented. Sunvozertinib combined with anlotinib was well tolerated and demonstrated encouraging antitumor activity in NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations who had failed prior EGFR-TKI therapies. As of December 25, 2024, the objective response rate (ORR) and the disease control rate (DCR) were 33.3% and 100%, respectively, in this heavily pre-treated patient population. Enrollment is ongoing and detailed results will be updated at the congress.

Dizal presentation details during ELCC 2025

About golidocitinib (DZD4205)

Golidocitinib is currently the first and only Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) selective inhibitor being evaluated for the treatment of r/r PTCL. In June 2024, golidocitinib was approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (r/r PTCL). 

At the data cut-off date of August 31, 2023, golidocitinib has demonstrated robust and durable anti-tumor efficacy, with an ORR of 44.3%. More than 50% of the patients with tumor remission achieved a complete response with a CRR of 23.9%. Per IRC assessment, mDoR reached 20.7 months. Golidocitinib was granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of r/r PTCL in February 2022. In September 2023, the CDE accepted its NDA and granted Priority Review for the treatment of r/r PTCL. The Phase I clinical data of golidocitinib (JACKPOT8 PART A) was published in Annals of Oncology (Impact Factor: 51.8), and global pivotal trial data of golidocitinib for the treatment of r/r PTCL (JACKPOT PART B) was published in The Lancet Oncology (Impact Factor: 54.4).

About sunvozertinib (DZD9008)

Sunvozertinib is an irreversible EGFR inhibitor discovered by Dizal scientists targeting a wide spectrum of EGFR mutations with wild-type EGFR selectivity. In August 2023, sunvozertinib received approval from NMPA to treat advanced NSCLC with EGFR exon20ins after platinum-based chemotherapies. The approval is based on the results of WU-KONG6 study, the pivotal study of sunvozertinib in platinum-based chemotherapy pretreated NSCLC with EGFR exon20ins. In addition, sunvozertinib also demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity in NSCLC patients with EGFR sensitizing, T790M, and uncommon mutations (such as G719X, L861Q, etc.), as well as HER2 exon20ins. 

Sunvozertinib showed a well-tolerated and manageable safety profile in the clinic. The most common drug-related TEAEs (treatment-emergent adverse event) were Grade 1/2 in nature and clinically manageable.

Two global pivotal studies are ongoing in ≥ 2nd line (WU-KONG1 Part B) and 1st line setting (WU-KONG28), respectively, in NSCLC patients with EGFR exon20ins.

Pre-clinical and clinical results of sunvozertinib were published in peer-reviewed journals Cancer Discovery and The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.

About Dizal

Dizal is a biopharmaceutical company, dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of differentiated therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and immunological diseases. The company aims to develop first-in-class and groundbreaking new medicines, and further address unmet medical needs worldwide. Deep-rooted in translational science and molecular design, it has established an internationally competitive portfolio with two approved drugs and multiple assets in global pivotal studies. To learn more about Dizal, please visit www.dizalpharma.com, or follow us on Linkedin or Twitter.

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