Evotec OAI and DeveloGen in strategic drug discovery and development alliance
German drug discovery company Evotec OAI and UK-based DeveloGen, a biology-driven drug discovery company developing novel therapies for diabetes and obesity, have entered into a joint drug discovery and development partnership.
German drug discovery company Evotec OAI and UK-based DeveloGen, a biology-driven drug discovery company developing novel therapies for diabetes and obesity, have entered into a joint drug discovery and development partnership.
The partnership creates an integrated venture combining DeveloGen's pipeline of more than 200 primary targets and 30 validated targets as well as its know-how in pharmacology, metabolic diseases and assay development with Evotec OAI's competence ranging from assay development and screening through to medicinal chemistry and drug manufacture.
The partners are already co-operating on activities ranging from target validation to lead optimisation in a number of programmes. A team of around 40 scientists will be engaged on the project by the fourth quarter of 2003, selected from both companies. The partners anticipate eventually forming an alliance with a pharmaceutical company that will take responsibility for later stage development and commercialisation.
'By collaborating with a disease-focused biotech company, we are leveraging both parties' complementary skills to rapidly produce what the pharmaceutical industry needs most: potent and promising product candidates to fill clinical pipelines,' said Dr Timm Jessen, cso and president discovery programs division of Evotec OAI.