The collaboration will draw on Evotec’s discovery and development capabilities and manufacturing optimization processes, including an option for the GMP manufacture of the immune-based therapies.
The Hamburg, Germany-headquartered company will work with Janssen during the pre-clinical R&D phase; while Janssen will assume full responsibility for the clinical development and commercialization.
The agreement has been facilitated via J&J’s strategic venture capital arm, Johnson & Johnson Innovation. Alongside research funding, Evotec is entitled to an undisclosed upfront payment, success-based research and commercial milestones exceeding $350m as well as tiered royalties on products resulting from the collaboration.
Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, said: “We are very excited about this collaboration with Janssen. Novel immune-based therapies with disease-relevant, targeted mechanisms are expected to benefit large number of patients. Evotec is committed to leading the way in transformational innovation to treat and ultimately cure diseases of high unmet need.”