Evotec Announces Research Agreement On Fragment Based Screening Drug Discovery With...

Evotec Announces Research Agreement On Fragment Based Screening Drug Discovery
With Cubist Pharmaceuticals

HAMBURG, Germany and OXFORD, UK, July 14, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Evotec AG
(Frankfurt:EVT) (Nasdaq:EVTC), a leading provider in the discovery and
development of novel small molecule drugs, today announced that it has entered
into a research agreement with Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:CBST), a
leading acute care biopharmaceutical company located in Lexington, Mass., USA.

Cubist will use Evotec's proprietary fragment screening technology,
EVOlution(tm) to complement discovery research efforts in two of its
antibacterials programs. EVOlution(tm) combines biochemical, nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) screening technologies for
the screening of low molecular weight compounds and fragments. By the
combination of the orthogonal screening technologies, Evotec's fragment
screening platform is capable of screening a more diverse set of biological
targets than other fragment screening approaches, as well as being able to
screen the fragments in a high-throughput mode. The benefit of this is the
ability to identify active fragments for numerous classes of biological targets
in a short space of time.

In combination with fragment screening technology, Evotec will use its expertise
in structural biology and protein crystallography in order to determine the
3-dimensional structure of the fragments bound to the targets of interest. To
this end, Evotec will use its internal crystallography platform and will access
the state-of-the-art synchrotron technology of the Diamond Light Source, its
partner for protein crystallography. By providing this technology in combination
with its fragment screening, Evotec will supply high quality results to Cubist
to enable the structure-driven identification of drug candidates for their
priority antibacterial targets.

Dr. Mark Ashton, Evotec's EVP, Business Development commented: "We are pleased
to be working with Cubist and look forward to identifying interesting fragments
for their targets and to supporting them in their quest for new treatments for
antibacterial diseases."

No financial details are disclosed.

About Fragment-based Drug Discovery

Fragment-based drug discovery (FBDD) is a new paradigm in drug discovery that
utilizes very small molecules -- fragments of more complex molecules -- to
generate efficient starting points for drug discovery. This approach thus
provides the opportunity to effectively manage the molecular weight and overall
complexity of drug candidates, a recognised success factor in drug development.

About NMR and SPR Screening Technologies

NMR and SPR screening technologies are used to study the interaction of small
molecules, such as drug candidates, with their targets.

About Diamond Light Source

Diamond generates extremely intense pin-point beams of synchrotron light of
exceptional quality ranging from x-rays, ultra-violet and infrared. For example
Diamond's x-rays are around 100 billion times brighter than a standard hospital
X-ray machine or 10 billion times brighter than the sun. For more information
about Diamond, see www.diamond.ac.uk

About Evotec AG

Evotec is a leader in the discovery and development of novel small molecule
drugs. The Company has built substantial drug discovery expertise and an
industrialized platform that can drive new innovative small molecule compounds
into the clinic. In addition, Evotec has built a deep internal knowledge base in
the treatment of diseases related to neuroscience, pain, and inflammation.
Leveraging these skills and expertise the Company intends to develop
best-in-class differentiated therapeutics and deliver superior science-driven
discovery alliances with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

Evotec has long-term discovery alliances with partners including Boehringer
Ingelheim, CHDI, Novartis, Ono Pharmaceutical and Roche. The Company has a P2X7
antagonist for the treatment of inflammatory diseases in clinical development
and a series of preclinical compounds and development partnerships, including a
strategic alliance with Roche for EVT 101, a subtype selective NMDA receptor
antagonist, for use in treatment-resistant depression. For additional
information please go to www.evotec.com

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this press release contains forward-looking statements,
which involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our expectations
and assumptions concerning regulatory, clinical and business strategies, the
progress of our clinical development programs and timing of the results of our
clinical trials, strategic collaborations and management's plans, objectives and
strategies. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but are
subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our
control, and which could cause actual results to differ materially from those
contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, the risks and
uncertainties include, among other things: risks that the Company may be unable
to reduce its cash burn through recent restructuring and cost containment
measures; risks that product candidates may fail in the clinic or may not be
successfully marketed or manufactured; risks relating to our ability to advance
the development of product candidates currently in the pipeline or in clinical
trials; our inability to further identify, develop and achieve commercial
success for new products and technologies; the risk that competing products may
be more successful; our inability to interest potential partners in our
technologies and products; our inability to achieve commercial success for our
products and technologies; our inability to protect our intellectual property
and the cost of enforcing or defending our intellectual property rights; our
failure to comply with regulations relating to our products and product
candidates, including FDA requirements; the risk that the FDA may interpret the
results of our studies differently than we have; the risk that clinical trials
may not result in marketable products; the risk that we may be unable to
successfully secure regulatory approval of and market our drug candidates; and
risks of new, changing and competitive technologies and regulations in the U.S.
and internationally.

The list of risks above is not exhaustive. Our most recent Annual Report on Form
20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and other documents
filed with, or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission, contain
additional factors that could impact our businesses and financial performance.
We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any
updates or revisions to any such statements to reflect any change in our
expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any
such statement is based.

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CONTACT: Evotec AG
Dr Mark Ashton, EVP, Business Development
+44 (0) 1235 441236
mark.ashton@evotec.com

De Facto Communications
Karen Slack
+44 (0) 20 7861 3043
k.slack@defacto.com