Spain’s Almirall has consolidated its existing relationship with BioFocus, the UK-based drug discovery specialist and Galapagos affiliate, by announcing a three-year research alliance aimed at delivering “drug development candidates directed to a key respiratory target of interest to Almirall”.

The collaboration could be worth as much as €7.5 million to BioFocus, which will apply its integrated drug discovery capabilities to supplement Almirall’s respiratory expertise. The Spanish company’s core therapeutic areas include asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).  

Last November, Almirall and BioFocus announced a collaboration agreement to find new hit compounds against key targets of interest to Almirall. BioFocus’s contribution was applying its screening technologies and compound collections to undisclosed Almirall projects in the field of respiratory and inflammatory conditions.

Commenting on the new alliance, Dr Bertil Lindmark, chief scientific offer and executive director R&D at Almirall, cited the “excellent technology and scientific fit” between the two companies.