Hamburg, Germany | Abingdon, UK - Evotec OAI AG, Hamburg, Germany (Neuer Markt: EVT), a supplier of integrated high value added drug discovery services, announced today the extension of its original one-year discovery chemistry agreement with Roche for an additional two years, following a very successful collaboration during 2001/2. Under the agreement Evotec OAI will supply chemical compound libraries and related data to Roche on a range of chemical structures which will be added to Roche's worldwide compound library collection and used in their drug discovery screening programmes.
 
Joern Aldag, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evotec OAI, said:
"The extension of the agreement with Roche reinforces our position as a world leading discovery chemistry collaborator and demonstrates our ability to deliver high quality drug discovery services over an extended period of time in strong long lasting customer relationships."
 
Dr David Brown, Global Head of Discovery at Roche added:
"We are delighted to extend our collaboration with Evotec OAI. The first phase of our partnership was highly successful and we anticipate that the extended collaboration will result in the addition of further structural diversity to the Roche compound library. This significantly strengthens our ability to discover medicines."
 
About Evotec OAI AG
Evotec OAI offers a comprehensive range of high-value added services and products required to increase the efficiency and at the same time reduce the risk in the identification of new drugs. By integrating proprietary state-of-the-art technologies and processes in biology, chemistry and screening, the Company has established a unique position for all the critical elements in the drug discovery and development process - from target to clinical development. Due to its extensive know how and experience Evotec OAI is the ideal partner for pharma and biotech companies world-wide. To date, Evotec OAI has completed over 1,200 projects with 150 companies, including all of the top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and major biotechs.
 
The Company employs nearly 600 people, primarily at its two main sites at Hamburg in Germany and Abingdon in the UK. Subsidiaries are located in Europe and North America. In 2001 Evotec OAI achieved revenues of EUR 63.2 million. Evotec OAI shares are listed on the Neuer Markt of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since November 1999 (NM: EVT).
 
About Roche
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's leading research-oriented healthcare groups in the fields of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and vitamins. Roche's innovative products and services address needs for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, thus enhancing people's well-being and quality of life. The Group sells its products in over 170 countries.
 
Research at Roche focuses on significant unmet medical needs in the management of diseases of the central nervous system and genitourinary tract, metabolic disorders, inflammation and bone diseases, oncology, vascular diseases and virology.