Bruce Cozadd, the retiring CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, has outlined a developing oncology pipeline at the company.
Speaking at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference 2025 yesterday (14 January), Cozadd said: “We’ve got some really exciting developments coming up in our pipeline, particularly in the case of zanidatamab and Zepzelca, both of which have indication expansion opportunities.”
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He reflected that Zepzelca (lurbinectedin) had been rapidly established as the treatment of choice for second-line small cell lung cancer (SCLC), grossing over $1.1bn in revenue since its launch in 2020. Following positive Phase III results from its IMforte trial (NCT05091567), Jazz Pharmaceuticals now plans to submit a supplementary new drug application (sNDA) for Zepzelca as a frontline treatment for extended-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) in the first half of 2025.
Approval by the FDA would “give us the opportunity to address more patients – more patients are treated in the frontline – as well as a longer duration of therapy”, Cozadd said. He also pointed to the 30,000 frontline SCLC patients in the US to demonstrate the need for the drug.
In addition, Cozadd shared Jazz Pharmaceuticals’ peak sales estimates for its oncology drug Ziihera (zanidatamab), which JP Morgan attendees heard could exceed $2bn.
Topline data, including progression-free survival (PFS) from a pivotal, Phase III trial (NCT05152147) of zanidatamab as a first-line therapy in gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (GEA), is expected in Q2 2025.
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By GlobalDataZiihera is approved as second-line therapy for biliary tract cancer (BTC) and is currently being investigated as a first-line therapy in HER2+ BTC. Trials are also ongoing for the use of zanidatamab as a therapy for HER2+ breast cancer and HER2+ pan-tumours. Cozadd commented: “Our goal is to make zanidatamab the HER2-targeted therapy of choice.”
The company is currently celebrating its 20th year of consecutive revenue growth while preparing for Cozadd to retire at the end of the year. He has overseen the company’s development since co-founding it in 2003. Most of Jazz’s early growth was attributable to Xyrem (sodium oxybate), a paediatric treatment for cataplexy and excessive daytime sleepiness in narcoleptic young people.
In 2018, 74% of the company’s revenues were driven by Xyrem, which decreased to 41% in 2021 and 11% in 2024. Its revenue share has been overtaken by Jazz’s other narcolepsy treatment, Xywav – the only approved oxybate therapy that does not carry a warning and precaution related to high sodium intake.
However, figures presented at the JP Morgan conference showed that both products are now dwarfed in revenue share by Jazz Pharmaceutical’s oncology therapies, which accounted for over half of the 2024 revenue (guidance predicts this to be $4bn – $4.1bn), up from 26% in 2018. These products include Defitelio, Enrylaze, Epidiolex, Epidyolex, Rylaze, Vyxeos, Zepzelca and Ziihera.
