Buy Rating for Zymeworks’ ZW191 Driven by Promising Efficacy and Favorable Safety Profile

LifeSci Capital analyst Charles Zhu maintained a Buy rating on Zymeworks today and set a price target of $32.00.

Charles Zhu’s rating is based on the promising clinical data presented for Zymeworks’ ZW191, a FRα ADC with a topoisomerase inhibitor payload. The initial results show a high overall response rate (ORR) of 53% across solid tumors, which improves to 64% in gynecologic tumors, indicating strong potential efficacy. The segmentation of ORR by FRα expression further supports this, with notable response rates in FRα-high and intermediate groups, although responses in the FRα-low group are still emerging.
Additionally, the safety profile of ZW191 appears favorable, with a low incidence of severe treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and minimal dose reductions or interruptions required. This positions ZW191 as potentially safer compared to other FRα ADCs in the market, which have shown higher rates of adverse effects and dose modifications. The combination of these factors—efficacy and safety—supports the Buy rating, as ZW191 could offer a competitive advantage in a crowded therapeutic landscape.