Roche partners with Nurix on $2.3bn blood-cancer drug deal

Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche has entered an exclusive licensing and collaboration agreement with U.S. biotech firm Nurix Therapeutics, a deal valued at up to $2.3 billion to develop and commercialize the experimental blood cancer drug bexobrutideg. The partnership was announced on Monday, June 8, 2026.

Nurix will receive an upfront payment of $700 million, with the remaining potential value contingent on achieving future development, regulatory approval, and sales milestones. The companies will share development costs, with Roche funding 60% and Nurix covering 40%. In the United States, they will co-commercialize the drug and split profits and losses equally. Roche will handle commercialization outside the U.S., paying Nurix tiered royalties.

Bexobrutideg, also known as NX5948, is an oral Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader. Unlike conventional BTK inhibitors that block the protein's activity, this approach aims to eliminate the protein entirely, a strategy that could address resistance mechanisms seen with current standard treatments. The drug is primarily being developed for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a prevalent adult leukemia, as well as other B-cell...