Evotec pairs with Tesaro to seek out new immuno-oncology targets

Germany’s Evotec has penned another deal amid a stream of R&D pacts over the past year, this time with PARP player Tesaro.

The CRO-biotech hybrid, which is increasingly becoming biotech focused, has signed a three-year integrated drug discovery collab with Tesaro. The pact is centered on finding new small molecule product candidates against an undisclosed immuno-oncology target. Financial terms were not disclosed.

This also comes the same day that Tesaro gained FDA approval for an intravenous version of its drug Varubi (rolapitant) to treat chemo-induced sickness.

On its side, Evotec will use its drug discovery platform, from lead discovery through the picking of a preclinical candidate, and hook this up to Tesaro’s translational research pipeline in the hope of pushing on with work in what they hope will be best-in-class oncology therapies.

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“Tesaro is excited to work with Evotec to expand our discovery capabilities against immuno-oncology targets,” said Jeffrey Hanke, Ph.D., EVP of research and CSO of Tesaro.

Mario Polywka, M.D., COO of Evotec, added: “Oncology is one of Evotec’s core therapeutic areas of focus and we are pleased to enter into this exciting and innovative partnership with Tesaro, a globally recognised oncology leader and one of the fastest growing biotech companies in the USA.

“This collaboration further demonstrates the value of our integrated research site in Toulouse and our world-leading structural biology group in Oxford. Using our integrated drug discovery platform, we are committed to helping Tesaro drive innovation in this very important field of high-unmet medical need.”

This builds on a series of deals coming out of Evotec, including just last week the company’s expanded collab with Forge Therapeutics, which focuses on targeting metalloenzymes.

Last year, it also spun off its first drug unit, an early-stage biotech called Topas Therapeutics that works on tolerizing particles.