Roche has licensed exclusive global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize SIM0660, an antibody targeting B-cell malignancies, from China’s Simcere Pharmaceutical for an upfront payment of $75 million.
The agreement covers SIM0660’s potential use in blood cancer and select autoimmune diseases. Simcere is eligible for milestone payments of up to $1.455 billion based on development progress, alongside tiered royalties on future net sales.
The deal follows a recent wave of licensing agreements between Western and Chinese drugmakers. In May, Bristol-Myers Squibb struck a strategic partnership with Hengrui Pharmaceuticals valued at over $15 billion. Earlier this year, Eli Lilly entered a collaboration with Innovent Biologics potentially worth up to $8.5 billion.
Simcere’s shares rose 5.5% to HK$11.58 in early trading on Wednesday, reflecting investor interest in the transaction.
