Evotec Supports Medicines for Malaria Venture  

Evotec AG has announced a long-term compound management collaboration with Evotec (US) Inc and and Medicines for Malaria Venture ("MMV") in support of MMV's Malaria and Pathogen Box initiatives aimed at developing drug discovery for malaria and  neglected diseases.

The Malaria Box, which contains 400 diverse molecules active against blood stage P.falciparum  malaria and is available free of charge on request, has been despatched to 27 countries catalysing numerous drug discovery programmes

.Supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation  in 2013, the company is currently selecting 400 molecules for a Pathogen Box which will be active not just against malaria but also against a range of neglected diseases. The Pathogen Box is expected to be available for distribution in 4Q 2015

.Researchers who receive these compounds free of charge are expected to share their findings and data with the research community via a scientific publication or the publicly accessible database ChEMBL.

Dr Tim Wells, Chief Scientific Officer of MMV said: "Researchers are starved of access to promising molecules due to financial and technical barriers. MMV's Malaria and Pathogen Box initiatives aim to remove these barriers and suppliers like Evotec are critical to their success. We look forward to jointly ensuring robust compounds enter the R&D process and the best ones are developed into effective new medicines for vulnerable populations."