EQS-News

Evotec and Variant Bio enter strategic partnership to discover and develop fibrosis treatments

EQS-News: Evotec SE / Key word(s): Miscellaneous Evotec and Variant Bio enter strategic partnership to discover and develop fibrosis treatments 18.04.2024 / 13:27 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

• COLLABORATION LEVERAGES VARIANT BIO’S CUTTING-EDGE GENOMIC DISCOVERY PLATFORM AND EVOTEC’S INTEGRATED END-TO-END R&D PLATFORM AND DISEASE AREA EXPERTISE TO ADDRESS UNMET MEDICAL NEED IN FIBROTIC INDICATIONS
• COMMERCIAL TERMS INCLUDE RESEARCH FUNDING AND MILESTONES AND/OR ROYALTY PAYMENTS TO EVOTEC BASED ON THE OVERALL SUCCESS OF THE PROGRAMME

Hamburg, Germany and Seattle, USA, 18 April 2024:
Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) and Variant Bio, Inc. today announced a collaboration agreement to identify a best-in-class treatment for diseases caused by fibrosis.

Fibrosis is characterised by marked and pathogenic build-up of the tissue matrix, leading to tissue degeneration in organs, including the liver and lungs. Fibrotic disease contributes substantially to global mortality and morbidity. Despite the chronic nature of fibrotic conditions, widespread impact on various organs, and substantial disease burden, there is currently no curative treatment for these conditions.

The strategic partnership leverages Variant Bio’s cutting-edge genomic discovery capabilities and VB-Inference platform as well as Evotec’s extensive expertise in antifibrotic drug discovery. Evotec will identify best-in-class small molecules targeting a key fibrotic pathway with strong genetic support identified by Variant Bio and progress the programme towards the selection of a clinical development candidate(s) using Evotec’s integrated end-to-end R&D platform. Additionally, the collaboration includes an opportunity to evaluate unrelated nephrology targets based on human multi-omics data with Evotec’s molecular patient database (“E.MPD”).