Galapagos Announces Expanded Relationship with AstraZeneca
-BioFocus DPI to provide drug discovery services to US-site
MECHELEN, Belgium, August 8, 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.
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
This release
may contain forward-looking statements,
including, without limitation, statements containing the words
"believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "seeks,"
"estimates," "may," "will," "could," "stands to," and "continues,"
as well as similar expressions. Such forward-looking
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undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These
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which any such statement is based, unless required by law or
regulation.
Posted: August 2007
