Galapagos Signs Two Discovery Pacts

Belgian biotech firm Galapagos has entered two new drug discovery collaborations. One is a multiyear alliance with Merck & Co. to develop inflammatory disease treatments. Galapagos will be responsible for the discovery and preclinical development of new small-molecule drugs based on novel Galapagos targets. Merck will pay Galapagos an upfront fee of more than $3 million and milestone payments that could reach $250 million. In the other agreement, Galapagos' BioFocus DPI division will provide biology, medicinal chemistry, and analytical services to Ireland's Opsona Therapeutics. Opsona will fund the work of up to five researchers this year.