Celgene targets solid tumours in $65m Evotec drug discovery deal
The long-term strategic partnership will see Evotec use its drug discovery platform at sites in Munich and Göttingen, Germany, and Toulouse, France, to identify therapeutics for solid tumours.
“Going forward, this will translate very fast to the whole group once the first projects mature,” an Evotec spokesperson told us.
Celgene will pay Evotec $65m (€55m) upfront, as well as potential milestone and royalty payments.
The agreement is Evotec’s second with Celgene, following a neurodegeneration deal signed in 2016: “Evotec received $45m upfront and is entitled to up to $250m in milestones plus low double-digit royalties on any successfully commercialised programme,” the spokesperson told us.
“In October 2017, the alliance achieved its first milestone – completion of an iPSC screening programme – triggering a $5m payment,” she added.
Earlier this year, Evotec licensed ten R&D assets from Sanofi as part of an open platform alliance designed to advance anti-infective drug discovery and development. And just last month, Evotec announced a strategic collaboration with Carna Biosciences to advance its blood cancer investigational therapy CB-1763.
