Hamburg, Germany/ Abingdon, UK  - Evotec OAI AG, Hamburg, Germany (Neuer Markt: EVT), a supplier of integrated high-value-added drug discovery services, announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to synthesise small molecule chemical libraries. This represents a most significant collaboration for Evotec OAI. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
Under the terms of the agreement,  Evotec OAI  will synthesise well characterised drug-like library compounds using its proprietary high-speed combinatorial chemistry and auto-purification platforms. Merck will use these compounds in its drug research and development programs. 
 
"We believe that Evotec OAI's proprietary technology platforms will uniquely contribute to our compound acquisition program." said Thomas N. Salzmann, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Basic Research, Merck.
 
"This major agreement reaffirms the value of our highly industrialised process for synthesising  compound libraries," said Mario Polywka, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec OAI." We are delighted to be working with Merck and contributing to their identification of high quality drug candidates through the application of our leading-edge chemistry solutions."
 
About Evotec OAI AG
Evotec OAI offers the full range of high-value added products and services required to discover and develop drugs more effectively and efficiently.  By integrating accelerated methods in biology, chemistry and screening, the Company has established a unique position as a one-stop-shop for all the critical elements in the drug discovery research and development process - from target to clinical development. More than 570 people are based in Hamburg, Germany and Abingdon, U.K. Evotec OAI already has close links with many of the leading companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries including Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Aventis, Pharmacia/Sugen, Bayer, BMS, Roche, Amgen, Biogen, Vertex, Serono and Immunex. The Company's shares are listed on the Neuer Markt of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
 
About Merck & Co., Inc.
Merck and Co., Inc. is a leading research driven pharmaceutical products and service company.  Merck discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of innovative products to improve human and animal health, directly and through its joint ventures. Merck-Medico Managed Care manages pharmacy benefits for employers, insurers and other plan sponsors, encouraging the appropriate use of medicines and providing disease management programs. Through these complementary capabilities, Merck works to improve quality of life and contain overall health-care costs.