Galapagos, Amgen extend ion channel development collaboration

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Dec. 7 - Galapagos Genomics NV said its services division BioFocus plc has extended its drug discovery collaboration with Amgen for biology, computational and medicinal chemistry services and a supply of biologically directed library compounds for Amgen's ion channel lead discovery programs.

This extension lasts through 2006 and is one of the largest service contracts to date for BioFocus, Galapagos said.

Under the terms of the extended agreement, BioFocus will continue to provide Amgen with drug discovery expertise for multiple ion channel targets, including assay development, high-throughput screening, chemistry and molecular informatics.

In return, Galapagos will receive an upfront fee of $2.3 million and may receive up to $30 million in further compensation in the form of library and technology access fees, research fees, milestone payments and bonuses.

The initial collaboration, announced in January 2003, involved the identification of lead candidates against multiple ion channel targets. The modulation of ion channels may be important in the treatment of a wide range of diseases including cardiovascular and neurological disorders, the company said.

Amgen is a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Galapagos is a genomics-based drug discovery company headquartered in Mechelen, Belgium. It provides target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies through its division BioFocus.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.