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One of America's largest pharmaceutical companies this week said it will partner with a Chinese drugmaker to test some of its experimental drugs and discover new ones, a deal that could mark the next phase of coordination across continents.

Bristol Myers Squibb

on Tuesday announced the potential multibillion-dollar partnership with one of China's top drugmakers, Hengrui Pharma. The companies will work together to develop about a dozen drugs, including four that Bristol discovered and will send to China for Hengrui to run the early-stage clinical trials. The pair of companies will also collaborate to discover new drugs.

"It's a huge signal," said Michael Baran, head of private investments at healthcare-focused hedge fund Affinity Asset Advisors and a former partner at Pfizer Ventures. He said U.S. drugmakers have partnered with Chinese companies to develop drugs before, including Amgen's 2019 collaboration with BeOne.