New Drug Application Submission Initiated for Zipalertinib Plus Chemotherapy in First-Line EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutation NSCLC for Review Under FDA Real-Time Oncology Review Program

On October 1, 2026 Cullinan Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CGEM), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company accelerating potential first- or best-in-class, disease-modifying T cell engagers in autoimmune diseases and cancer, reported the initiation of a New Drug Application (NDA) submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for zipalertinib in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with previously untreated, locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion (ex20ins) mutations under the FDA’s Real-Time Oncology Review (RTOR) program.

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The RTOR program allows sponsors to submit clinical data in advance of the complete application to facilitate earlier review of efficacy and safety results. Completion of the NDA submission is expected by year-end 2026.

The NDA submission is based on data from the Phase 3 REZILIENT3 trial, which met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in median progression-free survival for zipalertinib plus chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone. These results were recently presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s (IASLC) 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) during a Presidential Symposium, where potentially practice-changing clinical data are highlighted.

Zipalertinib holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR ex20ins NSCLC who have previously received platinum-based chemotherapy. An NDA seeking accelerated approval for zipalertinib monotherapy in this indication remains under FDA review, with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of February 27, 2027.

Cullinan Therapeutics is eligible to receive $30 million and $100 million in milestone payments upon second-line and first-line U.S. regulatory approvals, respectively.

About Zipalertinib

Zipalertinib (development code: CLN-081/TAS6417) is an orally available small molecule designed to target activating mutations in EGFR. The molecule was selected because of its ability to inhibit EGFR variants with exon 20 insertion mutations. Zipalertinib is designed as a next generation, irreversible EGFR inhibitor for the treatment of a genetically defined subset of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Zipalertinib is investigational and has not been approved by any health authority.

Zipalertinib is being developed by Taiho Oncology, Inc., its parent company, Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., and in collaboration with Cullinan Therapeutics, Inc. in the U.S.

About EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutations

NSCLC is a common form of lung cancer and up to 4% of all cases globally have EGFR ex20ins.1 In the United States, approximately 16% of patients with NSCLC harbor EGFR mutations,1 with insertions at exon 20 accounting for up to 12% of these mutations.

(Press release, Cullinan Oncology, OCT 1, 2026, View Source [SID1234671232])