Evotec SE has entered a strategic partnership and equity investment with leon-nanodrugs GmbH, a provider of nanotechnology for the pharmaceutical industry. Evotec and leon will cooperate on selected development programs and maximize the effectiveness of clinical and commercial nanomedicines.
 
Leon's proprietary technology is aimed at suspending active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in especially tailored nanoparticles to deliver, increased solubility, enhanced bioavailability and improved stability. Solubility is a main criterion for orally available drug substances as it has a direct impact on their onset and overall efficacy. Better solubility improves efficacy at lower dosages and can therefore contribute to drug safety as well, by reducing dosage-related side effects. Additionally, leon's one-step approach is uniquely applicable to more sensitive molecules such as peptides and even proteins because it exposes the API to neither thermal nor mechanical stress.
 
Evotec will leverage leon's proprietary technology through the company's API manufacturing and CMC capabilities. Evotec and leon will leverage their combined expertise in nano-medicine development services.
 
In addition, Evotec has made a strategic investment in leon by leading the company's successful Series B funding round. Lead investor Evotec and BayBG join the existing investors TVM Life Science Innovation I L.P., CD-Venture GmbH, Albany Private Equity Holdings Pty Ltd., Eckenstein-Geigy-Stiftung, and LOF Leon Partnership, L.P.
 
Enno Spillner, Evotec's chief financial officer, will join leon's supervisory board.
 
"We are excited about this new strategic collaboration with leon-nanodrugs," said Werner Lanthaler, chief executive officer, Evotec. "Leon's proprietary technology has the potential to be a game changer for the formulation, development and production of efficient drugs and will drive innovation efficiency by directly improving clinical outcomes. Our joint efforts in nanomedicine will ultimately benefit a large number of patients across a broad range of indications with significant unmet medical need."
 
Andrea Cusack, chief executive officer, leon, said, "We are at the forefront of innovation in the international pharmaceutical market, leading the way in nano formulation of APIs. The strategic partnership with Evotec enables us to exploit the value of our technology and deliver a solution to clients from concept to GMP, successfully delivering products to market."
 

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