Galapagos
and GlaxoSmithKline broaden arthritis alliance
• Expansion
of programs based on promising drug target GT622
• €6.5 M payment this year and additional milestones
• Total alliance value increased to more than €200
M, plus royalties
Mechelen, Belgium;
16 December 2009 – Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced
today that it has expanded its arthritis alliance with GlaxoSmithKline
(LSE & NYSE: GSK) to include additional drug discovery
programs based on novel drug target GT622. Under the terms
of this extension, Galapagos will receive a payment from
GSK of €6.5 million cash and becomes eligible for additional
success-based milestones and royalties. Since the start
of the alliance in June 2006, Galapagos has received a total
of €41 million in payments from GSK. The expanded arthritis
alliance with GSK is now worth more than €200 million
in milestones, plus up to double-digit royalties.
Earlier this month, Galapagos delivered the first clinical
candidate, GLPG0555, in its arthritis alliance with GSK.
Galapagos developed GLPG0555 based on the novel arthritis
target GT622, identified through Galapagos’ target
discovery platform. Encouraged by this target’s promising
mode of action, GSK and Galapagos have now expanded the
scope of the GT622 program to increase the chances of developing
a new medicine based on this target. Under the broadened
alliance, Galapagos will apply its medicinal chemistry and
biology expertise to develop additional candidate compounds
against GT622.
“With the candidate GLPG0555 in the clinic, this was
the right moment to broaden the program and increase development
efforts,” said Onno van de Stolpe, Chief Executive
Officer of Galapagos. “Through the €6.5 million
payment and milestones for additional molecules ahead of
us, this alliance is well financed and in excellent shape
to progress novel arthritis candidate drugs into the clinic.”
About the arthritis alliance
In June 2006, GSK and Galapagos initiated an arthritis alliance
to discover and develop disease-modifying drugs for GSK’s
global R&D organization. In July 2007 and December 2008,
GSK and Galapagos signed expansions to include additional
targets into the alliance.
GSK and Galapagos have now
broadened the alliance to include additional programs based
on the novel drug target GT622 and will focus research efforts
on multiple arthritis indications. GSK has an exclusive
option to further develop and commercialize compounds originating
from these programs on a worldwide basis.
The programs in the arthritis
alliance with GSK are independent of the targets in Galapagos’
rheumatoid arthritis alliance with Janssen Pharmaceutica.
About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG; OTC: GLPYY) is a drug discovery
and development company with small molecule programs in
bone and joint diseases, bone metastasis, cachexia, anti-infectives
and metabolic diseases. It has established risk sharing
alliances with GSK, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Eli Lilly and
Merck and Co. Through an alliance with MorphoSys, Galapagos
is also developing new antibody therapies in bone and joint
diseases. Its division BioFocus offers a full suite of target-to-drug
discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech
companies and to patient foundations, encompassing target
discovery and validation, screening and drug discovery through
to delivery of pre-clinical candidates. Galapagos currently
employs 495 people and operates facilities in six countries,
with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More info
at: www.glpg.com.
CONTACT
Galapagos NV
Onno van de Stolpe, CEO
Tel: +31 6 2909 8028
ir@glpg.com
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