Bayer signs endometriosis pact
pharmafile | October 3, 2012 | News story | Research and Development, Sales and Marketing | Bayer, Evotec, endometriosis
Bayer HealthCare and Evotec have signed a five-year deal to look for three novel drugs to treat women with endometriosis.
Estimated to affect one in ten women of reproductive age, endometriosis involves the growth of tissue outside of the uterine cavity and is a debilitating, painful condition that has no cure.
The two companies will share responsibility for early research and for the assessment of potential clinical candidates, with Bayer then in charge of developing and commercialising what they find.
Bayer is to pay Evotec €12 million upfront, but Evotec could end up receiving €580 million, plus a ‘low double digit’ percentage of net sales, depending on which party brought successful compounds to the collaboration.
Evotec specialises in such development partnerships, with its current ventures including diabetes drug discovery with Boehringer Ingelheim and MedImmune, and work in Alzheimer’s disease with Roche.
“Endometriosis is a disease with insufficient treatment options today for women who suffer from this painful condition,” said Andreas Busch, Bayer’s head of global drug discovery.
“Our new collaboration with Evotec will perfectly complement our activities in this field of high unmet medical need,” he added.
“Women with endometriosis may experience excruciating and chronic pain,” said Evotec chief executive Werner Lanthaler. “Because endometriosis affects women in childbearing age, there is an incredible need for new, non-surgical treatments that will preserve fertility and alleviate pain.”
Two years ago Bayer set up a partnership with the People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing into research into women’s healthcare, including endometriosis.
The condition affects an estimated 176 million women worldwide, with growths commonly found on the ovaries and pelvic peritoneum, and potentially involving organs such as the bladder and bowel.
Adam Hill
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