(October 8, 2026) by Allison DeAngelis

Roche is digging deeper into the biotech industry in China, striking a new partnership with a drug startup there. But rather than licensing the startup’s clinical-stage medicines, Roche is enlisting it to discover new ones, signaling a potential shift in global drug development.

Chinese startup Defand Therapeutics said Thursday that it had signed a collaboration deal with Roche to develop molecular glue medicines. Under the deal, Defand will discover and develop multiple drugs for cancer and immune-driven diseases. The financial terms were not disclosed, but a source with knowledge of the agreement said it could be worth close to $1 billion between the upfront fee and payments Defand could get if it meets various preclinical, clinical, and regulatory goals.