Roche, Hansoh Sign Second ADC Pact Covering Preclinical and Roche-Selected Targets

Roche has entered a second antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) collaboration and license agreement with Hansoh Pharma, this time spanning a portfolio of early-stage programs across multiple cancer types rather than a single clinical asset.¹ The portfolio includes two preclinical ADC programs already in development at Hansoh, along with multiple ADC programs directed at targets proposed by Roche and built on Hansoh’s proprietary ADC technology platform.¹ The announcement does not name the targets, tumor types, or payloads for any of the programs.¹

How will development be divided between the companies?

Hansoh will lead early development of each program through completion of global phase 1a clinical trials. Roche will then take responsibility for further development worldwide, excluding the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.¹ Hansoh retains all rights to develop, register, and commercialize the programs in those territories. The agreement also gives Hansoh the option to select up to two programs and contribute to their development outside Greater China. In exchange, Hansoh would receive incremental upside from the commercialization of those two programs in the US.¹

Hansoh will receive $400 million upfront and a $110 million first anniversary payment. It is also eligible for potentially more than $15 billion in development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones, plus tiered royalties on future product sales.¹

“Building on the ADC partnership we announced last year, we are delighted to further strengthen our collaboration with Roche,” said Eliza Sun, executive director of the board, Hansoh Pharma, in the release. “This new agreement reflects our shared commitment to advancing ADC innovation and underscores our strategy of leveraging our deep expertise to accelerate the development of transformative therapies for cancer patients globally.”¹

How does this build on the first Roche-Hansoh ADC deal?

The earlier partnership Sun referenced began in October 2025. That month, Roche obtained an exclusive license outside Greater China to HS-20110, a CDH17-targeted ADC that was then in phase 1 testing in China and the US for colorectal cancer and other solid tumors.²,³ CDH17 is a protein often overexpressed in gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal cancer. HS-20110 pairs a humanized anti-CDH17 monoclonal antibody with a topoisomerase inhibitor (TOPOi) payload.⁴ Under that agreement, Roche paid $80 million upfront and committed up to $1.45 billion in potential milestones.³

HS-20110 was already in the clinic when Roche licensed it. The new agreement brings Roche in before any of the programs have entered human testing, with Hansoh carrying them through first-in-human studies.¹

What clinical track record does Hansoh’s ADC platform have?

Several of Hansoh’s clinical-stage ADCs pair their targeting antibodies with TOPOi payloads. These include the B7-H3-targeted HS-20093 and the B7-H4-targeted HS-20089. China’s National Medical Products Administration designated HS-20089 as a breakthrough therapy for platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer.⁵^,⁶

HS-20093 is licensed outside Greater China to GSK as risvutatug rezetecan (ris-rez). It recently achieved a median overall survival of 18.5 months in a phase 3 trial. GSK has since reported a 61% overall response rate in a global phase 1b trial in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.²

What are developers looking for in next-generation ADCs?

Roche described the new collaboration as a step in its pursuit of next-generation ADCs.¹ Sabeen Mekan, MD, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Zymeworks, spoke about ADC design broadly rather than about this agreement. In a June 2026 interview with BioPharm International®, she said the antibody itself can meaningfully change how an ADC performs.

“You can have the same linker and payload,” Mekan said, “but having a better internalizing antibody is going to make the ADC much more effective and targeted to cancer cells.”

What happens next?

Hansoh will advance both the preclinical programs and the programs built on Roche-proposed targets through global phase 1a trials. Roche will then assume development outside Greater China.¹ The release does not give a timeline for when the first programs are expected to enter the clinic.¹

References

1. Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. Hansoh Pharma Announces Strategic Collaboration and License Agreement With Roche to Advance Novel ADC Portfolio. Press release. Published October 19, 2026. Accessed October 19, 2026.
2. Waldron J. Roche returns to China’s ADC powerhouse Hansoh for $15B biobucks pact. Fierce Biotech. Published October 19, 2026. Accessed October 19, 2026.
3. Kansteiner F. Licensing galore: Roche ties up with Hansoh on ADCs as Rani rounds out week with Chugai pact. Fierce Biotech. Published October 17, 2025. Accessed October 19, 2026.
4. Ohaka N. Eyes on Asia: Roche, Takeda, Leads Biolabs. BioXconomy. Published October 28, 2025. Accessed October 19, 2026.
5. Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. HS-20093, B7-H3-Targeted Antibody-Drug Conjugate, Receives EMA Priority Medicines Designation. Press release. Published December 16, 2024. Accessed October 19, 2026.
6. Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. Hansoh Pharma Announces NMPA Has Included B7-H4-Targeted ADC HS-20089 as Breakthrough-Therapy-Designated Drug for Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer. Press release. Published May 1, 2025. Accessed October 19, 2026.