Sanofi to send more researchers to Evotec

Sanofi and Evotec are in talks to create an infectious disease research center in Lyon, France, that is open to outside groups. Under the proposed deal, Sanofi’s early-stage infectious disease portfolio and 100 researchers will be folded into Evotec, which will get nearly $75 million and other “significant, long-term funding” from Sanofi. The French firm is keeping its vaccine activities and retains an option to license back certain anti-infective drugs. In 2015, Evotec took over Sanofi’s small-molecule drug development site in Toulouse, France, taking on more than 200 chemists. Sanofi paid the contract research firm $275 million over five years.