Roche partners with China's Simcere Zaiming on $1.5 billion T-cell engager for B-cell diseases

Roche announced a licensing agreement with Simcere Zaiming, a subsidiary of China's Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, to develop a trispecific T-cell engager called SIM0660.

The deal includes an upfront payment of $75 million to Simcere and potential milestone payments that could total about $1.53 billion, along with royalty provisions.

SIM0660 targets CD79A, CD19 and CD3 and is being evaluated in early-stage trials for safety and efficacy in B-cell mediated diseases, including newly diagnosed and relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma.

Roche aims to expand its oncology pipeline in Asia, marking its third sizable licensing deal in the region within a week.