Galapagos and Evotec have announced a collaboration comprising of a licence agreement for a programme developed by Evotec, as well as its drug discovery capabilities. The collaboration will focus on a novel target for fibrosis and other indications.
In exchange for global commercialisation rights, Hamburg-based drug developer Evotec will receive an upfront payment and will be eligible for potential milestone and royalty payments from Galapagos as the process progresses. However, the specific amounts of these payments from the Belgo-Dutch pharmaceutical research company, Galapagos, has not been disclosed.
The collaboration concerns a small molecule programme, currently in pre-clinical development for the treatment of fibrotic diseases of the liver and other organs. The target of the molecule has been identified and validated using Evotec’s proprietary platforms for fibrotic diseases and NASH.
Evotec utilised its in-house assay development and drug screening capabilities to identify small molecule modulators against the undisclosed target. As part of the deal, Galapagos will have access to specific in-house screening formats to support the final pre-clinical development of the small molecule modulators and will be responsible for all further development of the programme.
Commenting on the announcement, Dr Piet Wigerinck, CSO of Galapagos, said: “We highly regard the scientific know-how of Evotec, and are hence very much looking forward to collaborating with the team.”
This partnership is in keeping with Galapagos’ recent activity and portfolio of fibrosis drugs. Following a deal with Fibrocor in early January to commercialise new fibrosis drugs, the company states that the collaboration with Evotec underlines its commitment to expanding its fibrosis franchise.
