Takeda taps Evotec for gene therapy discovery

Takeda has a number of early-stage gene therapies in its pipeline, including several for rare diseases. However, the pharma giant is looking to bolster its early-stage assets further with an agreement with Evotec GT.

Evotec GT is housed in Orth an der Donau, Austria, and specializes in the development of gene therapy for hemophilia, hematology, metabolic and muscle diseases.

After its acquisition of Shire​, hematology now constitutes a core part of Takeda’s portfolio, meaning that this collaboration could offer the potential to strengthen its treatment base in the years to come.

Few further details were offered, and no financials were disclosed. Evotec only acknowledged that there would be an upfront payment and additional ‘various payments over time’.

What is known is that the long-term partnership will support multiple targets within Takeda’s four core therapeutic areas, oncology, rare diseases, neuroscience and gastroenterology. With Steven Hitchcock, global head of research for Takeda, suggesting that the rare disease area would likely be the principal focus.

With the Shire takeover complete, Takeda has turned its attention to signing small deals to fill out its early-stage pipeline in complementary areas to the former’s portfolio, which saw it sign a deal for a microbiome-based therapeutic for Crohn’s disease​ and saw it acquire PvP Biologics​ to take on the company’s therapeutic enzyme for celiac disease.