Evotec SE (NASDAQ: EVO)(Frankfurt Prime Standard:EVT) today announced that it has received two grants from the Gates Foundation for drug discovery and translation in tuberculosis (TB), following four earlier TB grants from the foundation, amounting to $4.9 million over 25 months and $5 million over 24 months. The new funding underscores Evotec's commitment to translating innovative science into impactful therapies addressing high-priority public health threats.

The grant programs will expand the pipeline of novel TB drug candidates and advance the most promising combinations toward clinical evaluation, reducing development risk and accelerating progress toward a universal, shorter, safer and simpler TB drug regimen.

Although most TB patients can be cured with existing antibiotics, treatments are long, complex and difficult to complete, especially for drug-resistant forms of the disease leading to treatment failures. The new grants will enable Evotec to apply its state-of-the-art translational platforms, including AI-enabled drug discovery and translational evaluation, to discover and prioritize novel therapies that address these critical challenges.

The first grant supports Evotec's discovery efforts to advance a portfolio of novel small molecules with the potential to treat all TB patients. By combining its advanced AI‑enabled drug discovery platform with deep TB drug discovery expertise, Evotec aims to accelerate time to candidate selection and increase the likelihood of success, ultimately contributing to the development of improved treatment options.

The second grant enables the nonclinical characterization of next‑generation TB drug combinations proposed for late‑stage clinical trials, including those with potential for delivery as Long Acting Injectables. Long Acting Injectables represent a potentially transformative innovation in TB therapy. Using its cutting‑edge translational platforms, Evotec will generate data on pharmacokinetics, efficacy and resistance potential to inform optimal development pathways and de-risk progression to clinical testing.

Dr. Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, said:

"We are grateful for the foundation's continued support. Effective TB drug development requires both a robust pipeline of novel candidates and rigorous translational evaluation to identify the combinations most likely to succeed in the clinic. These grants empower us to leverage our integrated AI-driven discovery and translational platforms to identify and advance the most promising candidates and combinations."