Evotec SE has entered into a strategic collaboration with South Korean pharma firm, Ildong Pharmaceutical, to accelerate the development of several of Ildong’s proprietary projects through access to Evotec’s INDiGO platform.
 
Evotec’s experts in integrated development solutions will accelerate the development of Ildong’s projects with services from Evotec’s INDiGO platform, through to the filing with the regulatory authorities which enables clinical trials. Evotec and Ildong have agreed to jointly develop three to six projects, the first of which being IDG-16177, a glucose lowering drug candidate which is being evaluated as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The first regulatory filing is expected for the first quarter of 2021.
 
“We are very pleased that Ildong has selected Evotec as a development partner for their projects,” said Craig Johnstone, chief operating officer, Evotec. “Ildong is a commercial-stage pharma company with an exciting pipeline of promising drug candidates. Leveraging INDiGO will efficiently accelerate the development schedule and give Ildong’s proposed clinical portfolio the highest quality starting position for clinical studies.”
 
Alan Choi, head of Ildong Research Center, said, “I’m also very pleased with this new partnership. Through the collaboration with Evotec, we expect Ildong’s multiple drug candidates to enter into global phase 1 clinical trials within 2021. We believe Evotec’s INDiGO platform will be able to deliver the quality and speed essential for Ildong’s accelerated, highly productive R&D approach.”