MECHELEN, BELGIUM and BARCELONA, SPAIN--(Marketwire - January 25, 2012) -
* Three-year integrated drug discovery alliance is for identifying drug
development candidates for treating respiratory disease
* The value of this collaboration could reach EUR7.5 million
Almirall, S.A.
(ALM.MC) announced today that has formed a research alliance with
BioFocus, an
affiliate from Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG).
The three-year alliance is aimed at delivering drug development
candidates
directed to a key respiratory target of interest to Almirall. Under the
terms
of the collaboration, BioFocus will apply its integrated drug
discovery
capabilities whilst Almirall will bring in respiratory specific knowhow
to the
joint experimental effort. The value of this collaboration to BioFocus
could
reach EUR7.5 million.
"We selected BioFocus for this alliance because of the excellent
technology and
scientific fit between both companies," said Dr. Bertil Lindmark, CSO,
Executive
Director R&D of Almirall.
"We are delighted to form a drug discovery alliance with one of Europe's
leading
research-based pharmaceutical companies," added Dr. Chris Newton, SVP
Galapagos
Services and Managing Director, BioFocus.
Respiratory is a key research focus for Almirall together with
gastrointestinal
and dermatology areas where the company is especially engaged to
offer new
therapeutic solutions.
About Almirall
Almirall is an international pharmaceutical company based on innovation and
committed to health. Headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, it researches,
develops,
manufactures and commercialises its own R&D and licensed drugs with the aim
of
improving people's health and wellbeing.
Almirall focuses its research resources on therapeutic areas related
to the
treatment of asthma, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary
Disease),
gastrointestinal disorders, psoriasis and other dermatological conditions.
Almirall's products are currently present in over 70 countries while
it has
direct presence in Europe and Latin America through 12 affiliates.
For further information please visit the website at: www.almirall.com
About BioFocus
BioFocus provides integrated drug discovery that delivers pre-clinical drug
candidates in all therapeutic areas with strong capability in
neurodegenerative
diseases, inflammatory diseases and with a growing track record of
delivering
candidates against rare and neglected diseases. BioFocus has advanced and
comprehensive drug discovery capabilities that are applied to client
projects to
deliver targets, hits, leads and candidate pre-clinical drugs. The company
employs over 220 exceptionally qualified and industry experienced
scientists at
its three research centers in the UK, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
Since its foundation in 1997, BioFocus has striven to produce high quality
data
for its clients and this quality is assured by ISO9001 qualification
validated
by regular, independent inspection of all BioFocus research centers. For
more
information visit: www.biofocus.com
About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG) (PINKSHEETS: GLPYY) is a mid-size biotechnology
company
specialized in the discovery and development of small molecule and antibody
therapies with novel modes-of-action. The Company is progressing GLPG0634,
as
well as one of the largest pipelines in biotech, with seven programs in
development and over 50 discovery programs. The Galapagos Group has about
800
employees and operates facilities in six countries, with global
headquarters in
Mechelen, Belgium. More info at: www.glpg.com
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