The current Sars-CoV-2 pandemic has shown what a powerful threat pathogens can be to human civilisation. However, not only viruses threaten the human population. Every year, at least 700,000 people worldwide die of drug-resistant diseases, including 230,000 people who die from multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. An increasing number of diseases, including respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted infections and urinary tract infections, has become untreatable, while lifesaving medical procedures are becoming much riskier. Last year, the U.S. CDC listed 18 antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi that are a threat to humans. Novel anti-infectives are urgently required to address this unmet medical need.
Evotec is dedicated to the fight against resistant pathogens and the development of novel anti-infectives. In 2018, the Company acquired Sanofi´s infectious disease unit and thereby laid the foundation for accelerating an comprehensive R&D portfolio to combat infectious diseases. Moreover, the Company entered into a five-year partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in June 2019 to discover new treatment regimens that better address tuberculosis (“TB”), a severe global health burden and one of the leading lethal infectious diseases worldwide. Also in 2019, Evotec and Lygature announced their cooperation in a new initiative for the development of novel antibacterial agents against Gram-negative bacteria called “GNA NOW”.
In August 2020, Evotec entered into a new partnership with Resolute Therapeutics to combat infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance.
Evotec has established a leading-edge platform enabling the discovery and development of new therapies and therapeutic approaches to treat and prevent serious and life-threatening infections. The Company´s anti-infectives platform includes
- EvostrAIn™ – An extensive range of geographically diverse human pathogenic bacteria and fungi including isolates that are susceptible and resistant to current antimicrobial drugs.
- In vitro and in vivo microbiology encompassing Gram positive and Gram negative pathogens (including anaerobes) in a wide range of animal models with a broad range of endpoints.
- Translational in vitro and in vivo PK/PD and mathematical modelling with emphasis on in vitro Hollow Fibre Systems to mimic defined drug exposure profiles.
- In vitro and in vivo virology, focusing on respiratory viruses such as RSV, HRV, influenza virus and human coronavirus (enabling COVID-19 work).
- In vitro and in vivo mycology: human pathogens including Candida spp. Aspergillus spp. and parasitology