WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zenas BioPharma, Inc. (“Zenas” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: ZBIO), a clinical-stage global biopharmaceutical company committed to being a leader in the development and commercialization of therapies for autoimmune diseases, today announced that on January 15, 2026 (the “Grant Date”), the Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors granted non-qualified stock options to purchase 100,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to a newly hired employee of the Company as an inducement material to such employee’s entry into employment with the Company, in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) (the “Inducement Grant”).

The Inducement Grant has a ten-year term and an exercise price per share of $19.93, which is equal to the closing price of Zenas’ common stock on the Grant Date. The Inducement Grant will vest over a four-year period, with 25% of the shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the employee’s first day of employment with the Company, and thereafter the remainder of the option will vest in 36 equal monthly installments, subject to the employee’s continued service with Zenas through the applicable vesting dates. The Inducement Grant was granted pursuant to, and is subject to, the terms and conditions of Zenas’ 2026 Inducement Plan and the applicable non-qualified stock option agreement.

About Zenas BioPharma, Inc.
Zenas is a clinical-stage global biopharmaceutical company committed to becoming a leader in the development and commercialization of transformative therapies for patients living with autoimmune diseases. Our core business strategy combines our experienced leadership team with a disciplined product candidate acquisition approach to identify, acquire and develop product candidates globally that we believe can provide superior clinical benefits to patients living with autoimmune diseases. Zenas is advancing two late-stage, potential franchise molecules, obexelimab and orelabrutinib. Obexelimab, Zenas’ lead product candidate, is a bifunctional monoclonal antibody designed to bind both CD19 and FcγRIIb, which are broadly present across B cell lineage, to inhibit the activity of cells that are implicated in many autoimmune diseases without depleting them. We believe that obexelimab’s unique mechanism of action and self-administered, subcutaneous injection regimen may broadly and effectively address the pathogenic role of B cell lineage in chronic autoimmune disease. Orelabrutinib is a potentially best-in-class, highly selective CNS-penetrant, oral, small molecule BTK inhibitor. Orelabrutinib’s mechanism of action targets pathogenic B cells not only in the periphery but also within the CNS. Additionally, it directly modulates macrophages and microglial cells in the CNS, with the potential to address compartmentalized inflammation and disease progression in MS. Zenas’ earlier stage programs include ZB021, a preclinical, potentially best-in-class, oral, IL-17AA/AF inhibitor, and ZB022, a preclinical, potentially best-in-class, oral, brain-penetrant, TYK2 inhibitor. For more information about Zenas BioPharma, please visit https://zenasbio.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn .

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