Evotec Receives $25M Milestone Payment from Bristol Myers Squibb for Neuroscience Partnership Progress
Key Insights
Evotec received a $25 million payment from Bristol Myers Squibb (search) for achieving scientific progress in their strategic neuroscience partnership focused on neurodegenerative diseases (search).
The collaboration, launched in 2016 and extended through 2031, has built a strong pipeline including EVT8683/BMS-986419, which completed Phase 1 clinical trials.
The partnership addresses the urgent need for disease-modifying treatments in neurodegenerative conditions where current treatment options remain limited.
Evotec SE announced it has received a $25 million payment from Bristol Myers Squibb (search) for scientific progress achieved within their strategic neuroscience partnership. The milestone payment will advance further research and support the partners' joint pipeline of programs aimed at tackling neurodegenerative diseases (search).
Long-Term Collaboration Yields Clinical Progress
The collaboration, launched in 2016, focuses on discovering and developing disease-modifying treatments for neurodegenerative diseases (search), where current treatment options remain limited. Since its inception, the companies have built a strong pipeline of innovative programs, including EVT8683, which was in-licensed by Bristol Myers Squibb (search) in 2021 as BMS-986419 and has completed Phase 1 clinical trials.
The partnership's success is reflected in its extension in 2023 for an additional eight years, demonstrating the shared commitment to bringing transformative treatments into the clinic. This extension ensures the collaboration will continue through 2031.
Addressing Unmet Medical Need
Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, emphasized the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches: "Patients living with neurodegenerative conditions urgently need therapies that go beyond the management of symptoms. This achievement increases the depth of our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb (search). Together, we are translating emerging disease biology into potential therapeutic opportunities, with the goal of providing meaningful new options for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases (search)."
Evotec's Drug Discovery Platform
Evotec operates as a life science company pioneering drug discovery and development by integrating breakthrough science with AI-driven innovation and advanced technologies. The company's expertise spans small molecules, biologics, cell therapies and associated modalities, supported by proprietary platforms including Molecular Patient Databases, PanOmics and iPSC-based disease modeling.
The company maintains a strong portfolio of over 100 proprietary R&D assets, most of them co-owned, focusing on key therapeutic areas including oncology, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neurology, and immunology. Evotec's global team of more than 4,800 experts operates from sites in Europe and the U.S., working with all Top 20 pharmaceutical companies and over 800 biotechnology companies.