Evotec AG announced it has entered into an integrated drug discovery collaboration on an ion channel target with Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
Under the terms of the agreement, Evotec will apply its integrated drug discovery platform including medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry and in vitro pharmacology to optimise hit compounds identified and selected from the Evotec compound library collection through a recent successful high-throughput screening campaign executed at Evotec.
Dr Mario Polywka, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec, stated: “We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Asahi Kasei Pharma into a fully integrated drug discovery project. Evotec operates one of the most comprehensive ion channel platforms in the industry and this collaboration represents further validation of the strength of this platform and the library screened. We look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Asahi Kasei Pharma.”
ABOUT ASAHI KASEI
Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a research-based health care innovator that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products. Asahi Kasei Pharma is a wholly owned business unit of Asahi Kasei Corporation, a US$ 18 billion technology company that provides innovative, science-based solutions to a diverse range of markets including health care, chemicals and fibers, housing and construction materials, and electronics. For more information, please visit the Asahi Kasei Corporation website at www.asahi-kasei.co.jp.
ABOUT EVOTEC AG
Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company focused on rapidly progressing innovative product approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academics, patient advocacy groups and venture capitalists. We operate worldwide providing the highest quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery solutions, covering all activities from target-to-clinic to meet the industry’s need for innovation and efficiency in drug discovery (EVT Execute). The Company has established a unique position by assembling top-class scientific experts and integrating state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience and expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuroscience, diabetes and complications of diabetes, pain and inflammation, oncology and infectious diseases. On this basis, Evotec has built a broad and deep pipeline of more than 70 partnered product opportunities at clinical, pre-clinical and discovery stages (EVT Innovate). Evotec has established multiple long-term discovery alliances with partners including Bayer, CHDI, Sanofi or UCB and development partnerships with e.g. Janssen Pharmaceuticals in the field of Alzheimer’s disease, with Sanofi in the field of diabetes and with Pfizer in the field of tissue fibrosis and with Celgene in the field of neurodegenerative diseases. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com.
