LENZ Therapeutics Signs Greater China Rights Deal with Everest Medicines for VIZZ Ophthalmic Drug

With an NDA already under NMPA review and approval targeted for Q1 2027, LENZ Therapeutics has transferred its Greater China commercialization pathway for VIZZ (aceclidine ophthalmic solution 1.44%) to Everest Medicines, a move that shifts manufacturing, regulatory, and commercial obligations to a regionally established operator while preserving milestone and royalty economics for LENZ.

The transaction is structured as an Asset Purchase Agreement between Everest Medicines (HKEX: 1952) and CORXEL Pharmaceuticals, under which Everest acquires rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize VIZZ across Chinese mainland, Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR, and Taiwan. Everest assumes the LENZ License Agreement originally executed by CORXEL in April 2022, along with related ancillary agreements. LENZ retains up to $85.0 million in remaining regulatory and sales milestones, plus tiered mid single-digit to low double-digit royalties on Greater China net sales.

For regulatory affairs leads tracking imported ophthalmic drug pathways, the timeline is instructive. The LNZ100 NDA was submitted to the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the NMPA in September 2025, roughly three years after the original license was signed and approximately one year after FDA approval of VIZZ in the United States. A Q1 2027 approval target implies a roughly 15-to-18-month CDE review cycle for this asset, a reference point for manufacturers planning China market entry for similar ophthalmic formulations.

Everest's existing infrastructure in ophthalmology and its focus on innovative therapeutics addressing unmet needs in Greater China position it to manage the local GMP compliance, post-approval commitments, and commercial rollout that NMPA approval will require. For plant heads and QA directors at contract or originator sites supplying the Greater China market, the change in rights holder signals a corresponding shift in the manufacturing oversight and quality agreement counterparty.

LENZ will also receive additional payments tied to the execution of the CORXEL-Everest agreement itself, though specific figures were not disclosed. The presbyopia indication, affecting an estimated 1.8 billion people globally, provides the commercial rationale; the regulatory mechanics of the NMPA review cycle will determine whether the Q1 2027 milestone triggers the next payment tranche on schedule.

Source: LENZ Therapeutics, Inc. via Globe Newswire, 7 June 2026.