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Roche has forged a new partnership with a Chinese biotech startup, Defand Therapeutics, to delve deeper into the realm of drug discovery within China's biotech industry. The collaboration agreement does not involve the licensing of Defand's existing clinical-stage medicines, but rather focuses on the discovery of new drugs, signaling a potential shift in the global strategy of drug development.

Chinese biotech startup Defand Therapeutics announced on Thursday that it had inked a collaboration deal with the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche to develop molecular glue medicines. The collaboration agreement encompasses the discovery and development of multiple drugs aimed at treating cancer and immune-driven diseases. Although the financial terms of the collaboration agreement were not disclosed, according to a source familiar with the agreement, the deal could be worth nearly $1 billion, considering the upfront fee and potential payments that Defand may receive upon meeting various preclinical, clinical, and regulatory milestones.

Molecular glue therapies represent a burgeoning area in drug development, where the objective is to create a strong and effective bond with specific proteins to eliminate them. The development of these therapies has begun to gain momentum, largely driven by data from Revolution Medicines, which showcased its molecular glue treatment Rasonque nearly doubling the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer. This story continues in STAT+.