"We're pleased to enhance our partnership with Galapagos toinclude research in cystic fibrosis, a debilitating disease with significantunmet medical need. Our knowledge of the patient experience, combined withinnovative advances in the understanding of disease etiology, offers thepotential for new transformational treatments," Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., vicepresident of pharmaceutical discovery at AbbVie, commented in a statement.
This alliance comes a few months after the companiesannounced that they were extending their GLPG0634 clinical developmentcollaboration to include Crohn's disease. GLPG0634 is an orally available novelJAK inhibitor developed by Galapagos. The compound specifically targets JAK1,and is being developed in rheumatoid arthritis. Under the extension, Galapagoswill fund and complete a Phase II program of the drug candidate in Crohn'sdisease. Upon the study's completion, which is slated for the second quarter of2015, AbbVie will pay Galapagos $50 million, and thereafter will be responsiblefor funding and clinical development beyond Phase II, in addition to beingresponsible for regulatory and commercialization activities.
SOURCE: Galapagos press release 
