Evotec Extends Ongoing Collaboration With CHDI Foundation

• Collaboration aims to accelerate development of drugs that slow the progression of Huntington's disease (HD)

• Evotec eligible to receive up to USD 41 million

HAMBURG, Germany, OXFORD, United Kingdom, LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evotec AG EVT (TecDAX) today announced that CHDI Foundation, Inc. (CHDI), a privately-funded not-for-profit research organisation dedicated to developing therapies for Huntington's disease (HD), has extended its collaboration with Evotec until the end of 2015. This contract extension could be worth up to USD 41 million in research payments for Evotec.

The collaboration takes full advantage of Evotec's integrated drug discovery platform and its proficiency in neurological research, including its expertise in medicinal chemistry, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology, and compound management.

Evotec and CHDI entered into this alliance in March 2006, and since then the collaborative relationship has grown significantly. The extension of this collaboration further validates Evotec's broad expertise in CNS drug discovery and development.

"We are delighted that CHDI, an organisation dedicated solely to the quest to discover novel drugs against Huntington's disease, continues to work in partnership with Evotec," said Dr Mario Polywka, Chief Operating Officer of Evotec. "This collaboration is an excellent example of how companies, including foundations such as CHDI, can access Evotec's platform suite of technologies, capabilities and strong disease biology expertise, to drive their drug discovery efforts."

"CHDI partners with a global network of investigators from the academic, biopharmaceutical, and service sectors to execute our drug discovery and development efforts," said Dr Robert Pacifici, Chief Scientific Officer at CHDI. "Evotec represents one of our largest and longest standing relationships with a contract research organisation. We are delighted that, with the renewal of our contract, CHDI and Evotec will be able to continue our productive interactions and drive our therapeutic programs forward."

About Huntington's disease

Huntington's disease is a familial disease caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene. Each child of a parent with the mutation in the huntingtin gene has a 50-50 chance of inheriting the mutation. As a result of carrying the mutation, an individual's brain cells fail and die leading to cognitive and physical impairments that, over the course of the disease, significantly impair the individual's quality of life and ultimately cause death. Symptoms of Huntington's disease, which generally develop in midlife and become progressively more debilitating as time passes, can also develop in infancy or old age. Once overt symptoms start, patients live for about 15 to 20 years. One person in 10,000 is believed to carry a mutation in the huntingtin gene. There is currently no way to delay the onset of symptoms or slow the progression of Huntington's disease.

About Evotec AG

Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company focused on rapidly progressing innovative product approaches with leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. We operate worldwide providing the highest quality stand-alone and integrated drug discovery solutions, covering all activities from target-to-clinic. The Company has established a unique position by assembling top-class scientific experts and integrating state-of-the-art technologies as well as substantial experience and expertise in key therapeutic areas including neuroscience, pain, metabolic diseases as well as oncology and inflammation. Evotec has long-term discovery alliances with partners including Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, CHDI, Genentech, Medimmune/Astra Zeneca, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical and Roche. In addition, the Company has existing development partnerships and product candidates both in clinical and preclinical development. These include a strategic alliance with Roche for the development of subtype-selective NMDA receptor antagonists for use in treatment-resistant depression as well as other partnerships with Boehringer Ingelheim, MedImmune and with Andromeda (Teva) in the field of diabetes. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com.

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 report. 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.