Evotec SE has announced a $25m milestone payment from Bristol Myers Squibb, recognising scientific progress made within their strategic neuroscience partnership.

The funds will support continued development of the companies’ joint preclinical pipeline targeting neurodegenerative diseases.

The collaboration, launched in 2016, aims to discover and develop disease-modifying treatments for conditions where current therapies remain limited.

Since inception, the partnership has produced a robust pipeline of innovative programmes, including EVT8683 – in-licensed by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2021 as BMS-986419 – which has successfully completed phase 1 clinical trials.

In 2023, the partnership was extended for a further eight years, underlining both companies’ commitment to advancing transformative therapies.

Dr Cord Dohrmann, Chief Scientific Officer of Evotec, commented: “Patients living with neurodegenerative conditions urgently need therapies that go beyond the management of symptoms. This achievement increases the depth of our collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.”

He added: “Together, we are translating emerging disease biology into potential therapeutic opportunities, with the goal of providing meaningful new options for patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.”

The Global Fund has welcomed a £6 million joint investment from GSK and ViiV Healthcare to strengthen community-led responses to HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in lower income countries. The pledge will be matched by the Gates Foundation, doubling the total to £12 million.

Deborah Waterhouse, CEO of ViiV Healthcare and President, Global Health GSK, said: “We are proud to deepen our partnership with the Global Fund through this catalytic investment, which will help accelerate community-led responses to high burden infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.”

The announcement was made at a high-level event in London, ahead of the Global Fund’s phase 8 replenishment pledging summit in November. The UK and South Africa are co-hosting the summit, which will finance programmes for the 2027–2029 grant cycle.

Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary for the United Kingdom, said: “The Global Fund has saved 70 million people from AIDS, TB and malaria since 2002. But the fight isn’t over.”

She added: “It’s really welcome and important to see British business stepping up. Private sector investment and innovation is key to finding new treatments, improving access to care and ultimately ending AIDS, TB and malaria – because we know that global challenges won’t be solved if we wait until they land on our own doorstep.”

Joe Cerrell, Managing Director at the Gates Foundation, said: “We’re proud that the first contribution – £6 million from GSK and ViiV Healthcare – will activate this matching support.”

Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund, said: “This commitment from GSK and ViiV Healthcare sends a powerful message – when public and private actors unite around a shared vision, we can drive real, lasting change.”