EVOTEC, BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM TO DISCOVER ALZHEIMER'S TREATMENTS

German drugmakers Evotec and Boehringer Ingelheim have announced a multiyear collaboration to jointly identify new targets for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The collaboration will also involve the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria.

Evotec scientists together with the Austrian researchers will apply their proprietary disease models to identify novel Alzheimer's targets. Based on these models, Boehringer Ingelheim will select and further validate target candidates for its in-house drug discovery program with the goal of developing innovative therapeutics, Evotec said. Financial details of this collaboration are not disclosed.

The contract also includes an option for Evotec to support Boehringer Ingelheim the target-validation process. If Boehringer Ingelheim exercises this option, Evotec said it would be eligible for milestone payments of up to 20 million euros, plus royalties.

"Over the past years, Evotec has built significant expertise in the field of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, and our innovative discovery tools and approaches have successfully been proven together with renowned industry partners," Jorn Aldag, president and CEO of Evotec, said.