Roche collaborates with Nurix Therapeutics to develop BTK degrader bexobrutideg for cancer and immune diseases

Roche and Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. have entered into an exclusive global licensing and collaboration agreement to co-develop and co-commercialize bexobrutideg, an investigational Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) degrader.

The agreement focuses on advancing bexobrutideg as a potential best-in-class targeted protein degrader therapy for people with B-cell malignancies, with additional planned indications in immunology, including chronic spontaneous urticaria, and neurology, including multiple sclerosis.

The collaboration aims to address significant unmet medical needs by leveraging a novel BTK degradation mechanism that may overcome resistance to current BTK inhibitor therapies.

Expanding treatment options for B-cell malignancies

Patients with B-cell–driven malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), continue to face limited long-term treatment options despite advances with BTK inhibitors and other targeted therapies.

In hematology, many people with CLL ultimately experience disease progression due to acquired resistance mutations, incomplete suppression of the BTK signalling pathway, or intolerance that restricts long-term use of existing BTK inhibitors. Once patients relapse, effective treatment choices remain constrained.

Bexobrutideg: A novel oral BTK degrader with best-in-class potential

Bexobrutideg is an oral, targeted BTK degrader designed to eliminate the Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase protein rather than simply inhibit its kinase activity. By degrading BTK, bexobrutideg aims to remove both the kinase and scaffolding functions of the protein across multiple immune cell types. This approach may provide improved efficacy, deeper and more durable pathway suppression, and the potential to overcome resistance mechanisms associated with current standard-of-care BTK inhibitors.

Phase 3 clinical trial initiation for bexobrutideg in the second-line treatment of CLL is planned for summer 2026. Available clinical data suggest that bexobrutideg has the potential to become a best-in-class treatment option, with higher efficacy and more favorable tolerability compared with established BTK-targeting therapies.

The collaboration between Roche and Nurix creates an opportunity to integrate bexobrutideg into Roche’s malignant hematology portfolio and to explore its use across a broad range of B-cell malignancies.

Cross-therapeutic potential in immunology and neurology

Beyond malignant hematology, BTK is recognized as a critical signaling node in a variety of immune-mediated conditions in immunology and neurology. Because bexobrutideg can eliminate BTK’s kinase and scaffolding functions across immune cell types, it may offer improved efficacy and durability in diseases where BTK plays a central role.

The collaboration includes a clinical development plan that spans B-cell malignancies, immunology and neurology. In immunology, bexobrutideg will be explored as a potential treatment for chronic spontaneous urticaria. In neurology, the program will investigate its potential in multiple sclerosis. These cross-therapeutic opportunities build on Roche’s established expertise in immunology and neurology and Nurix’s leadership in targeted protein degradation.

Strategic fit with Roche’s oncology and immunology pipeline

The addition of bexobrutideg Roche’s pipeline across oncology, immunology and neurology. By combining Nurix’s targeted protein degradation platform with Roche’s global development and commercial capabilities, the partners aim to accelerate the availability of a novel BTK degrader for patients worldwide.

Levi Garraway, Roche Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development, said, “At Roche, our goal is to create new possibilities for patients with challenging diseases. We believe bexobrutideg could represent a major leap forward in the fight against complex blood cancers and other diseases. We are proud to join forces with Nurix to accelerate these potential breakthroughs.”

Dr. Arthur T. Sands, president and chief executive officer of Nurix Therapeutics, added, “We believe Roche is the ideal partner to help translate the promise of targeted protein degradation into meaningful impact for patients worldwide. As a single agent, bexobrutideg has shown highly promising results in B cell malignancy clinical trials to date and we can now rapidly expand our Phase 3 program enhanced by Roche’s global reach."

"We are also excited to explore combination regimens utilising selected agents from Roche’s portfolio of successful B-cell malignancy drugs. In addition, collaborating with Roche uniquely enables our ability to extend the cross-therapeutic opportunity of bexobrutideg in immunology and neurology.”

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