Argenta Announces Fourth Extension of Drug Discovery Collaboration with Genentech

Argenta, a Galapagos NV company that provides drug discovery services from target validation to proof of concept, has announced a 3-year extension of its integrated contract drug discovery agreement with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

This is the fourth such extension since the agreement was first announced in December 2005. The agreement covers a portfolio of projects that uses Argenta's wide-ranging drug discovery expertise to discover new chemical entities acting against undisclosed drug targets defined by Genentech.

Dr John Montana, Managing Director of Argenta, commented: “We are delighted that our long-standing and highly valued client, Genentech, has once again chosen to extend its collaboration with Argenta. We believe that this further extension is a testament both to the close working relationship that has been established between our companies over the years and the high level of success delivered by Argenta to Genentech in terms of preclinical candidate compounds, four of which are currently in clinical trials.”