Boehringer Ingelheim, Evotec and bioMérieux launch Aurobac, a joint venture to fight Antimicrobial Resistance
6.7.2022 08:50:00 EEST | Business Wire | Press release
Boehringer Ingelheim, a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the life science company Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; NASDAQ: EVO) and bioMérieux, a world leader in in vitro diagnostics, announced today that they have formed a joint venture to create the next generation of antimicrobials along with actionable diagnostics to fight Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR).
The resulting company, Aurobac Therapeutics SAS, will combine the best capabilities of the three founding companies towards developing a new precision medicine approach, from diagnosis to cure. The aspiration is to succeed in the fight against AMR, which is a major public health threat. Having routine surgery such as caesarean sections or hip replacements may become life threatening, and complications from common diseases such as diabetes and injuries or cuts will become harder to manage because of growing resistance to antibiotics in patients.
“The rise of antibiotic-resistant infections – also called antimicrobial resistance, or AMR – is indeed a looming global crisis,” said Michel Pairet, Head of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Innovation Unit and Member of the Board of Managing Directors. “Antibiotic resistance kills about 1.27 million people globally every year1 and it has been estimated that by 2050, as many as 10 million worldwide deaths could result from AMR2, making it potentially deadlier than cancer.”
Werner Lanthaler, CEO of Evotec added: “The grim prospect of a post-antibiotic era has many causes but only one solution: The development of new, targeted, and effective antimicrobial therapies. We are excited to launch Aurobac together with our partners at Boehringer Ingelheim and bioMérieux, to combine our complementary strengths. By leveraging Evotec’s multimodality approach to infectious diseases, we are confident that Aurobac will be able to generate much-needed progress to tackle the global challenge of AMR.”
“bioMérieux has a strong expertise in antimicrobial resistance. We supply the most comprehensive integrated diagnostic solutions to support an appropriate use of antibiotics (antimicrobial stewardship),” said Alexandre Mérieux, bioMérieux Chairman and CEO. “Our role within the joint venture is to develop and commercialize diagnostic tests, including Companion Diagnostics, which deliver rapid, reliable and actionable results. This participation in Aurobac is perfectly aligned with bioMérieux’ full commitment to sustain antibiotic efficacy for future generations.”
Aurobac will work to shift the strategy related to antibiotic treatment regimens which at the moment leans heavily on empirical approaches using broad-spectrum and unfocused medicines. The goal is to turn this into a precision approach, using new highly effective and targeted modalities, combined with rapid and actionable diagnostics to quickly identify pathogens and their resistance patterns, and supported by new economic models.
Funded by Boehringer Ingelheim as lead investor with 30 million EUR and by Evotec and bioMérieux with 5 million EUR each, the 40 million EUR joint venture, which has its headquarters in Lyon (France), combines the world leading expertise of Evotec, one of the most active research companies in infectious diseases, with bioMérieux’s market-leading expertise in infectious disease diagnostics and with Boehringer Ingelheim’s broad drug discovery and significant clinical development capabilities.
Three partners committed to combat AMR
Boehringer Ingelheim’s participation in Aurobac is part of a wider so-called pandemic preparedness initiative, which includes a 50 million EUR investment in the AMR action fund by Boehringer Ingelheim. Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund has committed to invest up to 12 million EUR in AMR infection companies.
bioMérieux has over 55 years of diagnostics expertise with more than 75 percent of its research and development budget focused on antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, 80 percent of its turnover is related to the fight against AMR through a complete diagnostic solution facilitating antibiotic therapy decision-making, including antibiotic initiation, optimization, and discontinuation.
Evotec has built a world-leading platform to tackle infectious diseases. With a more than 200-strong anti-infective discovery team, the company has proven experience on multiple agent classes. On top of the company’s own pre-competitive pandemic preparedness and rapid response technology platform (“PRROTECT”), Evotec leverages its infectious disease capabilities with many industry, academic and non-profit partners and is active in a variety of networks such as the AMR Accelerator that is part of the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative (“IMI”).
References
1
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)02724-0/fulltext#seccestitle10
2
https://amr-review.org/sites/default/files/AMR%20Review%20Paper%20-%20Tackling%20a%20crisis%20for%20the%20health%20and%20wealth%20of%20nations_1.pdf
Please click on the following link for ‘Notes to Editors’ and ‘References’:
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220705005880/en/
Contact information
Boehringer Ingelheim
Corporate Affairs
Harro Ten Wolde
55216 Ingelheim
Phone: +49 151 61901069
Email: press@boehringer-ingelheim.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Samsung Bioepis Announces Positive Preliminary Phase 1 Data for SB27, Proposed Biosimilar to Keytruda (Pembrolizumab)6.5.2026 02:00:00 EEST | Press release
Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. announced today that the Phase 1 study on SB27, a proposed biosimilar to Keytruda1 (pembrolizumab), has met its primary pharmacokinetics (PK) endpoints. The randomized, double-blind, three-arm, parallel group, multicenter clinical trial demonstrated pharmacokinetic bioequivalence of SB27 (pembrolizumab) to the reference product Keytruda. Initiated in January 2024, Phase 1 study is being conducted in four countries, and is expected to be completed by November 2026.2 The study assessed pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of SB27, EU-sourced Keytruda, and US-sourced Keytruda in patients with stage II or IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following complete resection and adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy. 163 participants were randomized to receive SB27, EU-sourced Keytruda, or US-sourced Keytruda every 3 weeks, maximum 18 cycles over about 51 weeks, and blood samples were collected. The preliminary pharmacokinetic evaluation indicates t
Megaport Launches Built-In DDoS Protection Enabling On-Demand Network Resilience6.5.2026 01:00:00 EEST | Press release
Megaport Limited (ASX: MP1) (“Megaport”), a leading global automated infrastructure platform, today announced the launch of Megaport DDoS Protection. This new, built-in security capability for Megaport Internet allows customers to filter malicious traffic directly within the Megaport network rather than routing it through a separate or external service, for mission-critical uptime without introducing additional latency or routing complexity. As enterprises increasingly migrate to distributed cloud environments, traditional DDoS mitigation has struggled to keep pace with cloud and distributed infrastructure adoption. Standard ISP solutions often resort to dropping all traffic and taking the service offline to protect the network, while external third-party providers force a "security detour" that reroutes traffic through public infrastructure, introducing significant latency and complexity. Megaport DDoS Protection removes these challenges by integrating fabric-native protection directl
IFF Reports First Quarter 2026 Results5.5.2026 23:23:00 EEST | Press release
IFF (NYSE: IFF) reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026. First Quarter 2026 Consolidated Summary: Management Commentary “IFF is off to a solid start in 2026, with first quarter results that reflect the customer focus and operational execution we’ve been building across the company,” said Erik Fyrwald, CEO of IFF. “We delivered volume growth in all four segments, improved profitability, and generated strong cash flow in the first quarter. As we look ahead, we are maintaining a disciplined approach to how we are planning the balance of the year as the current operating environment remains unsettled. We remained focused on advancing our commercial and innovation pipelines, driving productivity, and working with customers to offset inflation. This – when combined with our solid start to the year – derisks the balance of the year and gives us the confidence to reaffirm our full-year 2026 financial guidance ranges in an uncertain environment. At the same time, w
Logitech Announces Q4 and Full Fiscal Year 2026 Results5.5.2026 23:06:00 EEST | Press release
SIX Swiss Exchange Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR — Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full Fiscal Year 2026. For Fiscal Year 2026: Sales were $4.84 billion, up 6 percent in US dollars and 4 percent in constant currency compared to the prior year. GAAP operating income was $775 million, up 18 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP operating income was $911 million, up 18 percent compared to the prior year. GAAP earnings per share was $4.80, up 16 percent compared to the prior year. Non-GAAP EPS was $5.78, up 19 percent compared to the prior year. Cash flow from operations was $1.04 billion. The year-ending cash balance was $1.7 billion. The Company returned $768 million of cash to shareholders through its annual dividend payment and share repurchases. For Q4 Fiscal Year 2026: Sales were $1.09 billion, up 7 percent in US dollars and 3 percent in constant currency compared to Q4 of the prior yea
Sentinel Midstream Advances Texas GulfLink Deepwater Port5.5.2026 23:00:00 EEST | Press release
Sentinel Midstream LLC (Sentinel) today announced the commencement of its Texas GulfLink deepwater port (Texas GulfLink or the Project), marking a significant milestone enabled by funding received pursuant to the U.S.—Japan Trade Agreement. The project advances in coordination with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Government of Japan and reflects the shared commitment to strengthening global energy security and expanding U.S. export infrastructure. Sentinel will lead the development of Texas GulfLink, overseeing construction, commercial operations, and long-term management of the terminal. Funding provided under the U.S.—Japan Trade Agreement, pursuant to Executive Order 14345 signed on September 4, 2025, underscores continued international confidence in U.S. energy infrastructure and supports the expansion of American crude oil exports to global markets. Upon this commencement, Texas GulfLink will immediately begin construction of its deepwater crude oil export terminal, unlock
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom