Bayer Pharma is paying Evotec €12 million (about $15.4 million) up front as part of a five-year, multitarget partnership that aims to generate three clinical-stage drugs for treating endometriosis. Both firms will input potential targets and share early research work and the preclinical characterization of potential candidates. Bayer will then take over clinical development and commercialization activities.

Under terms of the deal Evotec could receive up to another €580 million (roughly $746 million) in preclinical, clinical, and sales milestones, plus royalties on net sales, dependent on which firm contributed the candidate to the collaboration.

Bayer and Evotec say estimates suggest about 10% of women of reproductive age—about 176 million women worldwide—suffer from endometriosis. “It is one of Bayer’s strategic research indications, and our new collaboration with Evotec will perfectly complement our activities in this field of high unmet medical need,” comments Andreas Busch, head of global drug discovery at Bayer HealthCare. “We look forward to working with Evotec’s team on the development of novel drug candidates.”  

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