Vernalis Plc and Servier Enter into a New Drug Discovery Collaboration

Vernalis plc and Servier are pleased to announce that they reinforce their partnership by entering into a new two-year oncology drug discovery collaboration on an undisclosed target.

This agreement extends the existing successful collaborations between Servier and Vernalis since 2007, to combine Vernalis’ proprietary fragment- and structure-based drug discovery platform with the oncology expertise at Servier. Previous successes include discovery of products targeting Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 currently in clinical development.

Vernalis will receive a €2 million upfront payment, fees, research milestones and a share in the downstream success of any products coming out of this new collaboration.

“This new collaboration further validates our fragment-based drug discovery platform and the strength and success of our relationship with Servier. We look forward to working together to develop exciting new cancer treatment opportunities to add to the already disclosed success in targeting Bcl-2 and Mcl-1”, commented Ian Garland, CEO of Vernalis.

“The original structure of Servier, governed by a non-profit foundation, allows us to enter long-term collaborations with world-class partners like Vernalis, and use our expertise to bring innovative therapies to patients”, added Olivier Geneste, Director of Oncology Research at Servier.

The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the Market Abuse Regulations (EU) No. 596/2014. Upon the publication of this announcement this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.