AstraZeneca and Galapagos sign partnership agreement

Galapagos has announced that its services division BioFocus DPI has signed a drug discovery collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca. This is the second agreement between the two firms, following an original partnership signed in August 2006.

Under the terms of the new agreement, AstraZeneca will pay BioFocus 620,000 euros (451,054 pounds), with the latter company performing computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry and supporting biology and Admet services for a drug discovery programme for AstraZeneca.

BioFocus DPI offers pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms a suite of target-to-target drug discover products and services that include target discovery, validation, screening and drug discovery up to the level of pre-clinical study.

Dr Lars-Erik Arvidsson, vice-president of research and development at AstraZeneca, said: “BioFocus DPI’s commitment to delivering projects of high quality and on time has been the main driver of AstraZeneca’s decision to enter into a new agreement with BioFocus DPI.”

He added that the firm was pleased with its previous collaboration with the company and forecast that the increased role of BioFocus DPI will have a vital significance to the progress of its hit-to-lead programme.

Earlier this year, AstraZeneca announced that it had signed a partnership agreement with Palatin Technologies for the discovery, development and commercialisation of compounds targeting melanocortin receptors to treat obesity.