Evotec AG has entered into an integrated drug discovery collaboration on an ion channel target with Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Asahi Kasei Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.

Under the terms of the agreement, Evotec will apply its integrated drug discovery platform including medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry and in vitro pharmacology to optimise hit compounds identified and selected from the Evotec compound library collection through a recent successful high-throughput screening campaign executed at Evotec.

Dr Mario Polywka, chief operating officer of Evotec, stated "We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Asahi Kasei Pharma into a fully integrated drug discovery project. Evotec operates one of the most comprehensive ion channel platforms in the industry and this collaboration represents further validation of the strength of this platform and the library screened. We look forward to working closely with our colleagues at Asahi Kasei Pharma."

Asahi Kasei Pharma Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a research-based health care innovator that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products. Asahi Kasei Pharma is a wholly owned business unit of Asahi Kasei Corporation, a US$ 18 billion technology company that provides innovative, science-based solutions to a diverse range of markets including health care, chemicals and fibers, housing and construction materials, and electronics.