Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - ZNTL STOCK NEWS

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) announced equity awards granted by its Compensation Committee on December 2, 2024. The grants include non-qualified stock options for: 3,028,800 shares to Julie Eastland (new CEO and President), 712,650 shares to Dr. Ingmar Bruns (new Chief Medical Officer), and 753,660 shares to five new employees. The options, granted under the 2022 Inducement Plan, have an exercise price of $3.66 per share. Eastland's options vest monthly over four years, while other employees' options vest 25% after one year and the remaining 75% monthly over three years, subject to continued service.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) announced key leadership changes to support registrational studies for its lead product candidate, azenosertib. Julie Eastland has been appointed CEO, President and Director, succeeding Kimberly Blackwell, who will remain as a strategic advisor. Ingmar Bruns has been named Chief Medical Officer, and Scott Myers joins as Board Chairperson. The company plans to host an investor event in January 2025 to share updated azenosertib clinical data and regulatory plans. Azenosertib has been administered to approximately 800 patients with various cancers, both as monotherapy and in combination treatments, showing potential as a novel treatment for gynecological cancers.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) announced that its Compensation Committee granted equity awards to three new employees on November 1, 2024. The grants include 79,500 non-qualified stock options at $3.32 per share and 21,000 restricted stock units under the 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan. The stock options will vest over four years, with 25% vesting after one year and the remainder monthly over three years. The restricted stock units will vest in 25% increments annually over four years, subject to continued employment.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) announced that the FDA has lifted the partial clinical hold on studies of azenosertib, their novel WEE1 inhibitor for cancer treatment. The company can now resume enrollment in all ongoing clinical studies without changes to the development plan. Zentalis will work with investigators to quickly restart study activities across the azenosertib program.

CEO Kimberly Blackwell expressed gratitude for the FDA's collaboration and review of their response package, which included a comprehensive safety assessment. The company remains confident in azenosertib's therapeutic potential for addressing unmet needs in gynecologic malignancies. Zentalis plans to present azenosertib monotherapy data and provide updates on clinical development at a corporate event later this year. The company is on track to meet all previously disclosed data guidance for 2024.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) will present preclinical data on its selective WEE1 inhibitor azenosertib at the ESMO 2024 Congress in Barcelona. The data shows synergistic anti-tumor effects when azenosertib is combined with topoisomerase I (TOP1) inhibitor-based antibody drug conjugates (ADCs).

Key findings include:

• Significant synergistic effects in all cell lines tested
• 50% complete tumor regression in HER2+ breast cancer models when combined with trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-Dxd)
• Notable combination effects in HER2+ ovarian and HER2-low breast cancer models

These results suggest azenosertib could improve responses to ADCs in advanced solid tumors by enhancing DNA damage and cell cycle deregulation.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) has announced inducement grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). On September 3, 2024, the company's Compensation Committee granted non-qualified stock options to two newly hired employees to purchase a total of 16,000 shares of common stock. These options were granted under the 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan as an inducement for employment.

The stock options have an exercise price of $3.23 per share, equal to the closing price of Zentalis' common stock on the grant date. They have a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the following three years. Vesting is subject to continued employment with Zentalis.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ZNTL) reported Q2 2024 financial results and operational progress. Key highlights include:

- Cash position of $426.4 million as of June 30, 2024, with projected runway into mid-2026
- R&D expenses increased to $48.4 million, up from $42.7 million in Q2 2023
- General and administrative expenses rose to $16.8 million, compared to $15.7 million in Q2 2023
- Partial clinical hold placed on certain azenosertib studies following two deaths in the DENALI study
- Discontinuation of ZN-d5 development and its combination with azenosertib in AML
- Appointment of Luke Walker, M.D., to the Board of Directors
- Diana Hausman, M.D., stepped down as Chief Medical Officer

The company faces challenges with the azenosertib program but remains confident in its potential for gynecological malignancies. Zentalis continues to engage with regulators to resolve the hold and advance clinical development efforts.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has announced the granting of non-qualified stock options to 11 newly hired employees. The Compensation Committee approved options to purchase 282,500 shares of common stock under the company's 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan. These grants, made in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), serve as an inducement for new employees joining Zentalis.

The stock options have an exercise price of $3.80 per share, equal to the closing price of Zentalis' common stock on the grant date. They have a 10-year term and will vest over four years, with 25% vesting after the first year and the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the following three years. Vesting is contingent upon continued employment with Zentalis.

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ZNTL) announced that on July 1, 2024, its Board of Directors' Compensation Committee granted non-qualified stock options to purchase a total of 40,875 shares of the company's common stock to five new employees. These grants fall under the 2022 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan, designed to attract new hires. The options have an exercise price of $4.19 per share, equal to the closing price of Zentalis' common stock on the grant date. The options have a 10-year term and will vest over four years: 25% on the first anniversary of the vesting commencement date, with the remaining 75% vesting in equal monthly installments over the next three years. Continued employment is required for vesting.