Hamburg, Germany, and Oxford, UK, 20 October 2009
Evotec AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT; NASDAQ: EVTC), a leading provider in the discovery and development of novel small molecule drugs and DiscoveRx Corporation (Fremont, USA), a premier provider of innovative cell based assay solutions, today announced a co-marketing agreement for the screening of GPCR's and other targets.

Under the terms of the agreement, Evotec will have access to DiscoveRx's PathHunter(™) and cAMPHunter(™) cell lines and proprietary EFC chemiluminescent detection technology for use during hit identification and optimization projects performed for Evotec customers, using the Company's proprietary high throughput screening platform.

DiscoveRx's EFC related technologies offer assay solutions for every major class of drug target, including GPCRs, kinases, proteases, nuclear hormone receptors, and secreted proteins. More specifically, EFC-based PathHunter(™) and HitHunter(™) cAMP assays are the market leaders in GPCR screening applications. The combination of these technologies with Evotec's proprietary technologies and know-how in high throughput screening means that Evotec can now offer unrivalled screening solutions within the drug discovery process for GPCRs and other important target classes.

Evotec's Executive Vice President, Business Development, Dr Mark Ashton commented: "We are constantly seeking opportunities to further enhance our Discovery Alliance Business (DAB). For our customers, this agreement means that DiscoveRx's innovative assay portfolio of more than 300 cell based GPCR assays can be accessed in conjunction with the first-class high throughput screening set-up at Evotec. This will provide significant value to our screening partners, specifically in the area of GPCR screening."

Dr. Pyare Khanna, President and CEO, DiscoveRx commented: "DiscoveRx constantly strives to provide its truly innovative solutions to the screening community and we are delighted that this relationship with Evotec will add value to our efforts of bringing industry leading portfolio of PathHunter(™) and HitHunter(™) GPCR assays to not only Evotec's existing customer base but also to a broader audience".

Evotec has a unique assay development and screening platform built around proprietary and the latest commercial technologies. In addition, Evotec boasts an actively managed small molecule screening collection, differentiated through its quality, novelty and diversity. To date, Evotec has successfully developed in excess of 320 biochemical, functional and cellular assays and has carried out over 160 high throughput screening campaigns for its partners.

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