Evotec AG plans to acquire Cyprotex PLC, a preclinical CRO specializing in ADME-Tox and DMPK, for £55.4 million in cash. The proposed acquisition has been unanimously recommended by the board of Cyprotex and is expected to close by the end of the year.
 
Cyprotex specializes in early drug screening to support regulatory requirements and reduce the reliance on animal testing for the Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Agrochemical and Cosmetics markets. Cyprotex, headquartered in the UK, has 136 employees working from sites at Macclesfield and Alderley Park, both located near Manchester UK, and at Watertown, MA, and Kalamazoo, MI, in the U.S. Cyprotex reported 1H16 revenues of £8.7 million.
 
The acquisition expands Evotec’s drug discovery platform and capabilities with access to Cyprotex’s ADME-Tox platform and in vitro ADME screening, mechanistic and high-content toxicology screening and predictive modelling. These services aim to enable companies to make early informed decisions on a molecule’s suitability for further development.
 
Dr. Mario Polywka, chief operating officer of Evotec, said, “The ability to test or predict a molecule’s suitability as a drug at an early stage is critical in the drive to increase the efficiency of drug discovery. The proven technology platform of Cyprotex and its expert and dedicated employees will be a strong addition to our best-in-class drug discovery platform and resources. We also expect that both organisations will leverage their extensive partner networks to identify further commercial synergies.”
 
Dr. Werner Lanthaler, chief executive officer of Evotec, said, “Our focus to make the most innovative and capital efficient drug discovery platform will be perfectly extended by Cyprotex. Given our strong performance over the last years, a very good outlook of our business into the coming years, and the commercial profile of Cyprotex we also feel very comfortable in using the cash on our strong balance sheet for this accretive acquisition. We are very much looking forward to welcoming the employees of Cyprotex within the Evotec Group.”