Evotec Completes Acquisition of Rigenerand

Rhea-AI Summary

Evotec SE has completed the acquisition of Rigenerand Srl, a leading cell technology firm specializing in cGMP manufacturing of cell therapies. This acquisition enhances Evotec's EVO cells platform, providing increased capacity and expertise in the fast-evolving field of cell therapy. The new site in Modena, Italy, will facilitate the development and manufacturing of off-the-shelf iPSC-based therapies, ultimately aiming to address significant unmet medical needs. CEO Dr. Werner Lanthaler expressed confidence in the acquisition’s potential to accelerate innovative projects.

Positive

• Acquisition adds high-quality cGMP manufacturing capabilities.
• Enhances EVO cells platform, promoting innovative iPSC-based therapies.
• Expected to facilitate new partnerships and clinical applications.

Negative

• None.

• AS "EVOTEC CELL ACCELERATOR", THE HIGH-QUALITY CGMP CELL THERAPY MANUFACTURING SITE ADDS CAPACITY AND CAPABILITY
• EVOTEC'S EVO CELLS PLATFORM INTEGRATES INNOVATIVE OFF-THE-SHELF IPSC-BASED CELL THERAPY DISCOVERY WITH DEVELOPMENT AND MANUFACTURING

HAMBURG, GERMANY / ACCESSWIRE / July 5, 2022 / Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) today announced that the strategic transaction to acquire Rigenerand Srl, signed in May 2022, has been completed. Based out of Medolla, Italy, the cell technology company with leading edge in the field of cGMP manufacturing of cell therapies will operate as Evotec (Modena) Srl going forward.

Cell therapy is a fast-growing and highly promising field of biomedical research with the potential to achieve substantial disease-modifying or even curative effects within a single treatment. Deriving cell therapy products from induced pluripotent stem cells ("iPSCs") has opened up an almost unlimited source of consistent-quality material for large patient numbers. However, the scalability of the approach from bench to bedside is central for moving cell therapy approaches into clinical phases and thus, essential for the approval of any such therapy.

Evotec's cell therapy platform EVO cells integrates the full end-to-end spectrum from the discovery and development to the manufacturing of off-the-shelf iPSC-based cell therapy products. With a leading team of cell therapy experts, Evotec (Modena) adds a high-quality cGMP manufacturing site to the EVO cells platform therefore adding capacity, critical expertise and capabilities to the critical scale-up of complex cell-based therapies.

Dr Werner Lanthaler, Chief Executive Officer of Evotec, commented: "The Evotec Cell Accelerator gives us the opportunity to take our cell therapy business to the next level. We are extremely confident that this important addition to our EVO cells platform will enable us to progress our internal portfolio of early innovative projects. Further, the addition will allow us to enter new partnerships and support many projects towards clinical applications and onto the market in a very efficient way. This will have a significant impact to a great number of patients who are significantly under-served with the currently available treatment regimens."

Prof. Massimo Dominici, Scientific Director, Evotec (Modena) and Professor of Oncology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, said: "We are very pleased that the acquisition of Rigenerand has been finalised and the teams have started working together as one. The concept of the Evotec Cell Accelerator is already coming to life and matches what is happening in Modena: enriching the pre-existing know-how through the experienced Evotec team. I am therefore convinced that the field has a new player capable of addressing the challenges of next generation cell therapy products, accelerating their development and manufacturing towards the clinic."

About Cell Therapy and EVO cells
Cell therapy is a recent and innovative therapeutic modality that has the potential to deliver unprecedented therapeutic effects. Cell therapies can be used as a regenerative strategy, replacing a patient's dysfunctional cells or are used as adoptive immunotherapy to help the immune system fight cancer. Sources for cell therapeutics range from the patient's own material, a healthy donor or from stem cells. The advent of induced pluripotent stem cells ("iPS cells" or "iPSCs") that can be generated directly from somatic cells has opened up stem cells as an almost unlimited source of consistent-quality material for such cell therapies. iPSC-derived, off-the shelf therapeutics are considered to be one of the most promising approaches in the cell therapy space.

Building on its many years of experience with iPSCs, Evotec has developed EVO cells as an integrated, versatile platform for the discovery, development and manufacturing of cell therapies. The Company's aim is to develop innovative but cost-effective therapies for large patient numbers based on human cells to cure life-threatening diseases. Evotec's current EVO cells project portfolio covers immuno-oncology, metabolic diseases, heart repair as well as exosome-based therapies. Evotec leverages the EVO cells platform for both proprietary and partnered projects, and is aiming to accelerate these projects towards transformative therapies, both within existing and new disease areas.

ABOUT EVOTEC SE
Evotec is a life science company with a unique business model that delivers on its mission to discover and develop highly effective therapeutics and make them available to the patients. The Company's multimodality platform comprises a unique combination of innovative technologies, data and science for the discovery, development, and production of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products. Evotec leverages this "Data-driven R&D Autobahn to Cures" for proprietary projects and within a network of partners including all Top 20 Pharma and over 800 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, as well as other healthcare stakeholders. Evotec has strategic activities in a broad range of currently underserved therapeutic areas, including e.g. neurology, oncology, as well as metabolic and infectious diseases. Within these areas of expertise, Evotec aims to create the world-leading co-owned pipeline for innovative therapeutics and has to-date established a portfolio of more than 200 proprietary and co-owned R&D projects from early discovery to clinical development. Evotec operates globally with more than 4,200 highly qualified people. The Company's 15 sites offer highly synergistic technologies and services and operate as complementary clusters of excellence. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on Twitter @Evotec and LinkedIn .

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This announcement contains forward-looking statements concerning future events, including the proposed offering and listing of Evotec's securities. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "should," "target," "would" and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include comments regarding Evotec's expectations for revenues, Group EBITDA and unpartnered R&D expenses. These forward-looking statements are based on the information available to, and the expectations and assumptions deemed reasonable by Evotec at the time these statements were made. No assurance can be given that such expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements involve known and unknown risks and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates, which are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond the control of Evotec. Evotec expressly disclaims any obligations or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Evotec's expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.

Media Contact Evotec SE:
Gabriele Hansen, SVP Head of Global Corporate Communications & Marketing, Phone: +49.(0)40.56081-255, gabriele.hansen@evotec.com

IR Contact Evotec SE:
Volker Braun, SVP Head of Global Investor Relations & ESG, Phone: +49.(0)40.56081-775, volker.braun@evotec.com

SOURCE: Evotec SE

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FAQ

What is the significance of Evotec's acquisition of Rigenerand?

The acquisition enhances Evotec's manufacturing capabilities for cell therapies and integrates innovative approaches within its EVO cells platform.

How will the Rigenerand acquisition impact Evotec's business?

It is expected to accelerate the development and production of iPSC-based therapies, creating new partnership opportunities and addressing unmet patient needs.

When was the acquisition of Rigenerand completed?

The acquisition was completed on July 5, 2022.

What technologies will Evotec leverage following the Rigenerand acquisition?

Evotec will leverage advanced cGMP manufacturing processes and iPSC technology to enhance its EVO cells platform.

What potential does cell therapy hold for patients?

Cell therapy has the potential to provide disease-modifying or curative effects with a single treatment, particularly for underserved medical conditions.