Dear Forum,
It is with great pride and joy that I can announce today’s transformative collaboration with Gilead. Pride, because the deal is all about innovation, the platform and pipeline that Galapagos has built over its 20 years of existence. This is truly valued by Gilead and reflected in the deal. Joy, because we secured the long term independence of the company in this alliance. Independence to determine our own programs, our disease focus and our own destiny. Dan O’Day and I have spent a lot time discussing the bigger framework of how the companies can work best together. We both believe that an independent Galapagos is best to harbor the innovation and maximize the future delivery of further new mode of actions. Independence and innovation to deliver value to all stakeholders.
There is a lot of trust between the teams of the two companies, bonds that will be strengthened by close scientific collaboration, with no boundaries and no limits. Together to jointly deliver the best medicines to patients and show the world how two science based companies can do things differently to the benefit of society, employees and investors.
Best wishes,
Onno