Galapagos
announces expanded relationship with AstraZeneca: BioFocus
DPI to provide drug discovery services to US-site
Mechelen, Belgium; 8 August
2007 - Galapagos NV (Euronext & LSE: GLPG) announced
today that its service division, BioFocus DPI, has entered
into a new drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca
(LSE, NYSE, OMX: AZN), a global pharmaceutical leader. Building
upon previously announced drug discovery collaborations
between the two companies, this collaboration involves BioFocus
DPI performing medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry
and supporting biology and ADMET services for AstraZeneca’s
Infection discovery program based in Boston, US. Total contract
value for Galapagos will be €680,000.
This announcement marks the third collaboration between
AstraZeneca and BioFocus DPI. In August 2006, Galapagos
announced BioFocus DPI’s first drug discovery collaboration
with AstraZeneca. Under a second program initiated in April
2007, BioFocus DPI is performing chemistry and supporting
biology and ADME services for an AstraZeneca hit-to-lead
program. While these collaborations focused on AstraZeneca’s
European-based R&D, the agreement announced today expands
BioFocus DPI’s drug discovery services to AstraZeneca’s
US-based R&D.
“We now have a global relationship with AstraZeneca,
working with several sites based in Europe and the US,”
said Galapagos’ CEO, Onno van de Stolpe. “This
type of expansion fits very well with our strategy for growth
of the BioFocus DPI service division.”
“Our European colleagues have been pleased with the
progress of the drug discovery programs ongoing with BioFocus
DPI. The decision for our US-based R&D to enter into
this collaboration with BioFocus DPI is based on this productivity
and the good working relationship between the two companies
thus far,” added Trevor Trust, Vice President - Infection
Discovery at AstraZeneca US.
About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam,
GLPGA; London AiM: GLPG) is a drug discovery company with
pre-clinical programs in bone and joint diseases and cachexia.
Its division BioFocus DPI offers a full suite of target-to-drug
discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech
companies, encompassing target discovery and validation,
screening and drug discovery through to delivery of pre-clinical
candidates. BioFocus DPI also provides adenoviral reagents
for rapid identification and validation of novel drug targets,
compound libraries for drug screening as well as chemogenomics
and ADMET database products to select targets and compounds.
Galapagos currently employs 460 people and operates facilities
in seven countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen,
Belgium. More information about Galapagos and BioFocus DPI
can be found at www.glpg.com and www.biofocusdpi.com.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business
engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing
of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare
services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical
companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading
positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular,
neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products.
AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index
(Global) as well as the FTSE4 Good Index. More information
about AstraZeneca can be found at www.astrazeneca.com.
CONTACT
Galapagos
NV
Onno van de Stolpe, CEO
Tel: +31 6 290 980 28
ir@glpg.com
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