Collaboration comes after renewed focus on key therapeutic areas of immunology and oncology
Galapagos and NovAliX have jointly announced a strategic partnership to drive therapy development.
Under the terms of the agreement, Galapagos’ research and discovery capabilities – and employees based in Romainville, France – will be transferred to NovAliX. The latter company is a drug discovery-focused contract research organisation.
The collaboration comes after Galapagos renewed focus on its key therapeutic areas of immunology and oncology, as well as the rebooting of its research and development endeavours which aim to accelerate innovation, reduce risks and shorten drug development timelines.
Meanwhile, as a result of the acquisition, NovAliX will gain Galapagos’ drug discovery and research activities – also conducted in Romainville. In return, Galapagos will utilise the research capabilities of NovAliX through a five year-collaboration. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is due to close later this year.
Stephan Jenn, President of NovAliX, explained: “We are extremely pleased to enter into an integrated drug discovery collaboration with Galapagos. The acquisition of Galapagos’ drug discovery and research activities in Romainville, including its highly skilled team, is the perfect fit for NovAliX in order to complement our DNA-Encoded-Libraries database and cryo-EM driven discovery engine.”
He added: “It positions us as a key player in the field, offering the full scope of drug discovery capabilities and innovative technologies in kidney diseases, fibrosis and immunology, complementing our existing expertise in oncology and infectious diseases. This further demonstrates that we are executing on our growth strategy and our ambition to expand our service offering beyond early research.”
Paul Stoffels, chief executive officer and chairman at Galapagos, reflected: “Last year, we announced our Forward, Faster strategy, and the strategic reorientation of our company into a fit-for-purpose R&D organisation. In light of our renewed focus and our goal to safeguard the continued employment of our colleagues at our research site in Romainville, we are extremely pleased that we have come to an agreement with NovAliX.”
Galapagos’ treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis is currently available throughout Europe and Japan. NovAliX’s presence in therapeutic areas now covers oncology, inflammation, fibrosis and kidney diseases.
