Galapagos announces PPAR-delta commercial license agreement with Hillcrest Therapeutics

    Mechelen, Belgium; 1 February  2007 - Galapagos  NV (Euronext &  LSE:
GLPG) announced  today that  it has  signed an  exclusive  commercial
license agreement  with  US-based Hillcrest  Therapeutics,  Inc.,  in
which  Hillcrest  was  granted   worldwide  rights  to  develop   and
commercialize the PPAR-delta technology in all fields.  PPAR-delta, a
drug discovery program addressing  diabetes and obesity, has  reached
the stage  of  candidate  drug selection.    Hillcrest  Therapeutics,
located in San Diego, California, is a portfolio company of Paramount
BioSciences   LLC,   a   leading   drug   development   and   company
capitalization firm.  Total contract  value for Galapagos amounts  to
¤770,000 in license fees, up to ¤27 million in potential  milestones,
undisclosed milestone payments in Hillcrest equity, and single  digit
royalties on commercial products arising from the program.

PPAR-delta[1] is  a key  regulator  of the  human body's  control  of
metabolism; as  such, it  is considered  a valuable  target for  drug
discovery  in  diabetes  and  obesity.    With  the  acquisition   of
Inpharmatica  Ltd.  on  5  December  2006,  Galapagos  obtained   the
downstream rights to  the PPAR-delta program.   Inpharmatica  applied
its predictive  drug  discovery  technologies to  this  internal  R&D
program, developed  proprietary lead  series, and  reached  candidate
drug  selection  within  18   months  of  commencement.     Paramount
BioSciences will be completing the development, clinical testing, and
commercialization of this  program.  Galapagos  will have no  further
involvement in the execution of the development.

"Galapagos is pleased to  realize the upside  of this drug  discovery
program,  which  we  obtained  as   a  result  of  the   Inpharmatica
acquisition," said Onno  van de  Stolpe, Chief  Executive Officer  of
Galapagos.

About Galapagos

Galapagos (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam, GLPGA; London
AiM: GLPG) is a drug discovery company with clinical and pre-clinical
programs in bone  and joint  diseases, cachexia,  and menopausal  hot
flashes.    Its  division  BioFocus  DPI  offers  a  full  suite   of
target-to-drug discovery products and services to pharmaceutical  and
biotech companies,  encompassing  target  discovery  and  validation,
screening and  drug discovery  through  to delivery  of  pre-clinical
candidates.  BioFocus DPI also provides adenoviral reagents for rapid
identification  and  validation  of  novel  drug  targets,   compound
libraries for drug  screening as well  as chemogenomics and  ADMET[2]
database  products  to  select  targets  and  compounds.    Galapagos
currently  employs  450  people  and  operates  facilities  in  eight
countries, with  global  headquarters  in Mechelen,  Belgium.    More
information  about  Galapagos  and  BioFocus  DPI  can  be  found  at
www.glpg.com.

About Hillcrest Therapeutics and Paramount BioSciences

Hillcrest Therapeutics, Inc. is a development stage biopharmaceutical
company focusing on cardiovascular  and metabolic diseases.   Founded
in 2006,  it  is a  portfolio  company of  Paramount  BioSciences,  a
preeminent drug development  and company  capitalization firm,  which
provides its portfolio  companies with a  wide-range of  professional
and financial support  services.   More information can  be found  at
www.paramountbio.com.


CONTACT

Galapagos
NV
Dr Andre Hoekema
Senior Vice President Corporate Development
Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]

Paramount BioSciences LLC
Tara Crosson
Chief Marketing Officer
Tel:  [phone]
[e-mail]


This  release  may  contain  forward-looking  statements,  including,
without  limitation,  statements  containing  the  words  "believes,"
"anticipates," "expects," "intends,"  "plans," "seeks,"  "estimates,"
"may," "will,"  "could," "stands  to," and  "continues," as  well  as
similar expressions.   Such  forward-looking statements  may  involve
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achievements of  Galapagos, or  industry  results, to  be  materially
different from any historic or future results, financial  conditions,
performance  or   achievements   expressed   or   implied   by   such
forward-looking statements.  Given these uncertainties, the reader is
advised not  to  place any  undue  reliance on  such  forward-looking
statements.  These  forward-looking statements speak  only as of  the
date of publication of this document.  Galapagos expressly  disclaims
any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in  this
document to  reflect  any  change in  its  expectations  with  regard
thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which
any such statement is based, unless required by law or regulation.
[1] PPAR-delta is the acronym for Peroxisome Proliferator Activated
Receptor, a nuclear receptor that responds to fatty acids.
[2] ADMET is the acronym for Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism,
Excretion and Toxicity: meeting parameters against these four
criteria is critical to the success of a pharmaceutical compound as a
drug.






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