STAT晨间综述复述两笔已公告一天的生物医药交易：翰森制药-罗氏150亿美元ADC合作、默克13亿美元收购Silence Therapeutics

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Good morning. I haven’t yet watched the new Elizabeth Holmes documentary, so I haven’t yet read this review by Theranos whistleblower Tyler Schultz (since it contains spoilers). But if you’ve seen the movie, go ahead and read the review (and don’t spoil anything for me).
Roche continues to look to China for new drugs
China’s Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group said yesterday it struck a massive deal with Roche to develop a portfolio of antibody-drug conjugates.
The Swiss pharma company will pay $400 million to Hansoh upfront, then $110 million at the first anniversary of the deal, and eventually up to $15 billion if milestones are met. Hansoh will study the drugs through Phase 1 trials, and then Roche will take over development worldwide.
Roche has been on a spree of deals with Chinese drugmakers. About a year ago, it licensed a different antibody-drug conjugate from Hansoh for up to $1.45 billion. More recently, Roche said it would partner with Defand Therapeutics to develop molecular glue therapies for cancer and immune-driven diseases.
AltruBio touts data for ulcerative colitis drug
From STAT’s Jonathan Wosen: AltruBio announced positive data today from a mid-stage trial of its lead asset in patients with ulcerative colitis who’ve previously failed to respond to advanced therapies.
In the open-label study, dubbed ASCEND UC2a, patients were either given low- or high-dose injections of ALTB-268, an antibody designed to inhibit chronically activated T cells. Researchers reported that 23% of those in the high-dose group (3/13) entered clinical remission after 12 weeks of treatment compared to 11% (4/35) of those in the low-dose group. The therapy was generally safe and well tolerated, researchers reported during a presentation at United European Gastroenterology Week 2026 in Barcelona.
“The remission rates observed in this trial are highly encouraging, particularly in this advanced therapy-refractory UC population, and support further evaluation in a randomized study,” CEO Judy Chou said in a press release.
AltruBio, a private firm that announced in 2024 that it raised $225 million, is now planning a placebo-controlled Phase 2b study that will follow up on these results in both patients who have and haven’t previously had advanced therapies. That study is set to begin next year.
Germany’s Merck to buy siRNA company
Merck KGaA said yesterday that it would buy Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion, getting access to the biotech’s pipeline of gene silencing drugs.
Under the deal, Merck will pay $20 per American depositary share, representing a 130% premium to Silence’s closing price on Friday.
Silence’s lead candidate is a drug for a rare rare blood cancer called polycythemia vera. Earlier this year, the biotech reported the drug succeeded in a Phase 2 study, and has planned for a late-stage trial to start next year.
More reads
- Roche pauses future Germany investments, joining growing chorus of pharma pullbacks, Fierce Pharma
- Launch prices for new medicines dipped slightly last year but remain high, analysis finds, STAT