ABOUT THE EVOTEC SANOFI ALLIANCE IN DIABETES, (TARGET BCD),
EVT INNOVATE
In August 2015, Evotec and Sanofi entered into a strategic alliance to develop a beta cell replacement therapy based on functional human beta cells derived from human stem cells for diabetes. Evotec and Sanofi will also use human beta cells for high-throughput drug screening to identify beta cell active small molecules or biologics. Both companies make significant contributions to this collaboration in terms of expertise, platforms and resources. The collaboration, which is a key value-driving relationship under the company’s EVT Innovate business segment, further enhances and complements Sanofi's extensive diabetes R&D pipeline and extends Evotec's metabolic disease and stem cell-based drug discovery programmes.
Evotec is eligible to receive potential pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones, which could total over € 300 million as well as significant royalties and research payments. To date, Evotec has received € 9 million in upfront and milestone payments from Sanofi, as well as, substantial research funding.
ABOUT BETA CELLS
Beta cells play a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, a condition which currently affects 425 million people worldwide. Beta cells reside in clusters of hormone producing cells ("islets") within the pancreas. They respond to elevated blood glucose levels (e.g. after a meal) by secreting the glucose lowering hormone insulin. In the type 1 form of diabetes ("T1D"), beta cells are destroyed by the patient's own immune system. As a result, T1D patients have to follow a life-long regimen of carefully dosed insulin injections. In patients with type 2 diabetes ("T2D"), beta cells are functionally impaired and yet have to work in the presence of metabolic stress and increased work load due to an impaired tissue insulin response. T2D is progressive, and current therapeutic options cannot prevent the deterioration of beta cell function, eventually also creating a need for insulin injections. Despite the fact that insulin treatments are important and widely used for people with diabetes, injections represent a burden to patients. They cannot fully mimic the normal control of blood glucose levels by normal beta cells, which can result in acute and long-term complications. There is an enormous medical need for novel therapeutic options which can restore beta cell mass and thereby reduce or eliminate the need for insulin injections, or which can prevent or reverse the decline in beta cell function in type 2 diabetes.
ABOUT DIABETES
Diabetes mellitus (“Diabetes”) is a chronic incapacitating disease associated with severe lifelong conditions which require intensive monitoring and control, such as cardiovascular diseases, kidney diseases, nerve damage and eye diseases. At present, there is no cure for diabetes and only symptomatic treatment options are available. According to the International Diabetes Federation, approximately 425 million people worldwide had diabetes in 2017 (2015: 415 million). Concerning the diabetes market volume, approximately $ 727 billion was spent on the treatment of diabetes in 2017 (2015: $ 673 billion).
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgement of Evotec as of the date of this press release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.