Galapagos NV announced that its service division, BioFocus DPI, has entered into a new drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical leader. This is the second programme between the two companies under an agreement signed in August 2006.

In this new collaboration, BioFocus DPI will perform medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry and supporting biology and ADMET services for an AstraZeneca drug discovery programme. Total contract value for Galapagos is €620,000.

"Extending our existing partnership and securing further projects with AstraZeneca is a high priority for us," said Onno van de Stolpe, chief executive officer of Galapagos. "This latest collaboration demonstrates the positive working relationship and establishes our position as a proven partner specialized in drug discovery services."

"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. We have been pleased with the level of progress thus far and expect that BioFocus DPI's expanded ADMET and predictive drug discovery capabilities will be key contributors in advancing this hit-to-lead program," added Dr Lars-Erik Arvidsson, vice president R&D Lund, AstraZeneca.