The Belgium based genomics-based drug discovery major Galapagos NV has chosen two Indian CROs - Indus Biosciences, a subsidiary of CiVentiChem LLC in Hyderabad and ProCitius, a division of Sanmar Speciality Chemicals Limited in Chennai, to carry out chemistry services for its services division, BioFocus DPI.

Both companies will carry out chemistry services for the BioFocus DPI Discovery Products division with an option to provide support for client projects conducted by the BioFocus DPI Medicinal Chemistry division.

Galapagos is a publicly traded company that has drug discovery programs based on proprietary, novel targets in bone and joint diseases - osteo-arthritis, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. Galapagos offers a full suite of target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies through its BioFocus DPI, encompassing target discovery and drug discovery services through to delivery of pre-clinical candidates. In addition, BioFocus DPI provides adenoviral reagents for rapid identification and validation of novel drug targets and compound libraries for drug screening. Galapagos currently employs more than 320 people, including 144 PhDs, and operates facilities in seven countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium.

Led by Bhaskar Venepalli, PhD, president and CEO, the US based CiVentiChem offers medicinal chemistry and custom synthesis services, and through its subsidiary Indus Biosciences, located in Hyderabad. Sanmar Speciality Chemicals, part of the Sanmar Group. Through its research arm, ProCitius Research, it offers services in contract research and custom synthesis.

"We are very pleased that Galapagos and BioFocus DPI have chosen CiVentiChem and its subsidiary Indus Biosciences for our value-added services in discovery R&D chemistry and custom synthesis to complement their internal capabilities," said Bhaskar Venepalli, PhD, President and CEO of CiVentiChem.

"We believe that the target discovery and drug discovery services of BioFocus DPI would be well complemented by the chemistry research skills of ProCitius, enabling this partnership to deliver immense value to life sciences companies," said Murli Ramachandran, Managing Director, Sanmar Speciality Chemicals Ltd.

Accroding to Galapagos sources, this outsourcing enables BioFocus DPI and its partners to benefit from the excellent cost-effective chemistry services available on the Indian sub-continent, while also enabling its clients to outsource work into Indus BioSciences and Sanmar under the management of BioFocus DPI scientists.

"These strategic outsourcing agreements with CiVentiChem and Sanmar complement our acquisition of DPI's drug discovery operations," said Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos, in a press release.