Roche has returned to its partnership with Hansoh Pharmaceutical, agreeing to a new antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) collaboration that could generate as much as $15 billion biobucks in milestone payments for the Chinese drugmaker.
The latest deal covers a broad collection of ADC candidates. The portfolio includes two experimental therapies already undergoing preclinical development, alongside additional programs directed at targets selected by Roche and developed using Hansoh’s ADC technology.
Under the proposed arrangement, Hansoh will advance the programs through Phase 1 clinical trials. Roche will then assume responsibility for their worldwide development and commercialization, with Greater China excluded from the licensed territory.
Hansoh will receive $400 million upfront and another $110 million when the agreement reaches its first anniversary. The company could also collect up to $15 billion in additional payments tied to development, legal and commercial milestones, together with tiered royalties on any resulting product sales.
The agreement provides Hansoh with another option for participating in the collaboration’s financial returns. The company may elect to contribute to global development costs for two of the programs, potentially qualifying it for additional commercialization-related benefits if those therapies reach the market.
The expanded relationship builds on the companies’ first ADC agreement, announced last year. At that time, Roche paid Hansoh $80 million upfront and offered nearly $1.5 billion in potential milestone payments for rights outside China to HS-20110, an ADC targeting CDH17. The candidate was already being tested in Phase 1 trials in China and the U.S. for colorectal cancer and other tumors.
Hansoh Executive Director Eliza Sun said the latest agreement strengthens the existing relationship and reflects both companies’ commitment to advancing ADC research. She added that the collaboration draws on Hansoh’s technical expertise to accelerate the development of potential cancer treatments for patients worldwide.
Boris Zaïtra, Roche’s head of corporate business development, said the expanded partnership represented an important step in the company’s ADC strategy. He described next-generation ADC development as a promising area of oncology research with the potential to address significant unmet medical needs.
Roche is not the only major pharmaceutical company relying on Hansoh’s technology to expand its ADC portfolio. GSK has advanced two Hansoh-linked ADCs targeting B7-H3 and B7-H4, respectively, with the former’s program already generating encouraging late-stage clinical findings.
The B7-H3-targeting candidate, risvutatug rezetecan, recently recorded a median overall survival of 18.5 months in a Phase 3 study. The results have positioned the therapy as a potential competitor to treatments developed by Merck & Co. and Amgen in lung cancer.
GSK subsequently presented its first global clinical data for ris-rez from a Phase 1b study, reporting an overall response rate of just over 60%. The findings added to evidence supporting the candidate’s potential beyond the Chinese clinical development setting.
Jefferies analysts said the latest data helped strengthen the global case for ris-rez, building on earlier Phase 3 results from China. They suggested the drug was emerging as a leading contender among B7-H3-directed ADCs for relapsed small-cell lung cancer.
Roche Strengthens Its Partnership With Hansoh
Roche has returned to Hansoh Pharmaceutical with a major biobucks agreement that could exceed $15 billion in potential milestone payments. Announced on October 19, 2026, the collaboration expands the companies’ relationship and highlights the growing importance of Chinese biotechnology innovation in the global pharmaceutical industry.
The agreement focuses on a broad portfolio of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), an advanced class of cancer treatments designed to deliver potent therapeutic agents more directly to cancer cells. Through this collaboration, Hansoh will contribute its proprietary ADC technology platform, while Roche will bring its global clinical development and commercialization capabilities.
