- Bayer and Evotec have refocused their strategic collaboration towards the development of precision treatments for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).
- The collaboration will leverage Evotec’s disease modelling capabilities using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to identify new disease mechanisms and pathways.
- Both companies will share responsibilities during the pre-clinical development of potential clinical candidates, with Bayer handling any subsequent clinical development and commercialisation.
Bayer and Evotec announced on 30 April 2024 that they have updated the focus of their strategic collaboration. The new focus is on developing innovative precision treatments for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a leading cause of death globally.
The collaboration aims to identify and validate novel targets, with the goal of building a portfolio of precision cardiology therapeutics. This will be achieved by leveraging Evotec’s disease modelling capabilities using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). iPSCs provide unique opportunities to identify new disease mechanisms and pathways for novel treatments.
Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will contribute drug targets and a comprehensive set of high-quality technology platforms for the development of innovative treatment options. “This development takes our long-standing collaboration with Evotec to a new level, and has the added benefit of lessons learned from working together the past 12 years,” said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Head of Business Development & Licensing at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division.
The refocused collaboration will leverage Evotec’s industrialised iPSC-based disease modelling platform and Bayer’s leadership in cardiology to advance a portfolio of innovative therapies for cardiovascular diseases with high unmet medical need. “In order to move the treatment paradigm beyond disease management, it is important to advance our understanding of the disease-relevant molecular mechanisms underlying cardiovascular diseases,” said Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec.
Bayer and Evotec will share responsibilities during the pre-clinical development of potential clinical candidates. Bayer will be responsible for any subsequent clinical development and commercialisation. This collaboration represents a significant step forward in the fight against cardiovascular diseases, offering hope for the development of more effective, disease-modifying therapies.
Overview of outsourcing trends 
