PRESS RELEASE: Galapagos Announces Expanded Relationship with AstraZeneca

Galapagos Announces Expanded Relationship with AstraZeneca

MECHELEN, BELGIUM -- Aug 8, 2007 -- Mechelen, Belgium; 8 August 2007 - Galapagos NV announced today that its service division, BioFocus DPI, has entered into a new drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global pharmaceutical leader. Building upon previously announced drug discovery collaborations between the two companies, this collaboration involves BioFocus DPI performing medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry and supporting biology and ADMET services for AstraZeneca's Infection discovery program based in Boston, US. Total contract value for Galapagos will be EUR 680,000.

This announcement marks the third collaboration between AstraZeneca and BioFocus DPI. In August 2006, Galapagos announced BioFocus DPI's first drug discovery collaboration with AstraZeneca. Under a second program initiated in April 2007, BioFocus DPI is performing chemistry and supporting biology and ADME services for an AstraZeneca hit-to-lead program. While these collaborations focused on AstraZeneca's European-based R&D, the agreement announced today expands BioFocus DPI's drug discovery services to AstraZeneca's US-based R&D.

"We now have a global relationship with AstraZeneca, working with several sites based in Europe and the US," said Galapagos' CEO, Onno van de Stolpe. "This type of expansion fits very well with our strategy for growth of the BioFocus DPI service division."

"Our European colleagues have been pleased with the progress of the drug discovery programs ongoing with BioFocus DPI. The decision for our US-based R&D to enter into this collaboration with BioFocus DPI is based on this productivity and the good working relationship between the two companies thus far," added Trevor Trust, Vice President - Infection Discovery at AstraZeneca US.

About Galapagos

Galapagos (Euronext Brussels, GLPG; Euronext Amsterdam, GLPGA; London AiM: GLPG) is a drug discovery company with pre-clinical programs in bone and joint diseases and cachexia. 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 database products to select targets and compounds. Galapagos currently employs 460 people and operates facilities in seven countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More information about Galapagos and BioFocus DPI can be found at www.glpg.com and www.biofocusdpi.com.

About AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of $26.47 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology and infection products. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4 Good Index. More information about AstraZeneca can be found at www.astrazeneca.com.

CONTACT:

Galapagos NV Onno van de Stolpe, CEO Tel: +31 6 290 980 28 [email protected]

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 known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which might cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or 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.