Evotec and Apeiron to Discover Pain Therapeutics

Evotec AG and Apeiron Biologics GmbH have announced that they have entered into a discovery collaboration to develop small molecules targeting a therapeutic concept for pain relief.

This concept is based on research activities of Prof Josef Penninger, Director of the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA).

During the initial phase of this collaboration, Apeiron Biologics and Evotec will jointly develop tailored biochemical and cellular assays, and Evotec will apply its skills in utilising such assays for ultra-high-throughput screening to identify promising hit molecules.

At a later stage, both companies aim at advancing a selected lead compound into preclinical development up to proof-of-concept in patients.

Commercialisation rights which are shared equally may be out-licensed or assigned to a pharma partner.

Dr Erich Greiner, Executive Vice President Science at Evotec, said, "We are very pleased to enter into this innovative project with Apeiron Biologics."

"The top-level research provided by Apeiron and its scientific founder in this area, paired with Evotec’s substantial track record in the rapid identification of drug candidates and its expertise in field of central nervous system disorders is an excellent basis for successfully identifying novel pain therapeutics. This could become an attractive addition to our growing CNS pipeline."

"To establish strategic partnerships with reknowned pharma partners such as Evotec is an important step in Apeiron’s development and the validation of the Company’s business model," said Dr Hans Loibner, Chief Executive Officer of Apeiron Biologics.

"This collaboration is of key importance for this scientifically and commercially highly interesting project in pain. We are looking forward to an enjoyable and rewarding collaborative effort."