Mechelen, Belgium; 1 April 2011 - Galapagos NV (Euronext: GLPG) announced today that it will propose the appointment of Dr Vicki Sato to its Board of Directors at its Annual General Shareholders' Meeting on 26 April 2011.
Dr Sato was President of Vertex Pharmaceuticals from 2000 to 2005, where she led research and development, business and corporate development, commercial operations, legal and finance. Drugs and drug candidates for treating cystic fibrosis, HCV infection, AIDS, inflammation and cancer were begun under her leadership. Prior to her role as President, she held various positions at Vertex including Chief Scientific Officer, Senior Vice President of R&D, and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. Before joining Vertex, Dr Sato was Vice President of Research at Biogen, Inc, where she also participated in the Executive Management of the company and served as a member of the Scientific Board. Currently, Dr Sato is a board member at Bristol Myers Squibb Company, PerkinElmer Corporation, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Prize4Life and the Broad Institute (Board of Scientific Counselors). Dr Sato is Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School and Professor of the Practice in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Harvard University. She also serves as a business advisor to Atlas Venture and other enterprises in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Dr Sato holds an AB from Radcliffe College and AM and PhD degrees from Harvard University and completed postdoctoral work at the University of California Berkeley and Stanford Medical Center.
"We are very pleased that Vicki has agreed to be appointed to Galapagos' Board of Directors. I have known Vicki since her days at Biogen twenty-five years ago, and she is clearly one of the most respected biotech icons in the industry. Her impressive track record of scientific and business leadership, as well as her specific expertise in key disease areas for the Company, will make her an excellent Board member," commented Onno van de Stolpe, CEO of Galapagos.
It will be proposed to the AGM that Dr Sato's mandate as a Galapagos Board member last until the 2014 annual shareholders' meeting.
About Galapagos' AGM on 26 April 2011
The full agenda of Galapagos' Annual General Shareholders' Meeting is available at: http://www.glpg.com/investor/financial_calendar_events.htm. The 2010 Annual Financial Report will be made available at: http://www.glpg.com/investor/financial_reports.htm.
About Galapagos
Galapagos (Euronext: GLPG; OTC: GLPYY) is a mid-size biotechnology company specialized in the discovery and development of small molecule and antibody therapies with novel modes-of-action. The Company is progressing one of the largest pipelines in biotech, with seven clinical and over 50 discovery/preclinical programs. Through risk/reward-sharing alliances with GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Roche and Servier, Galapagos is eligible to receive up to €2.5 billion in downstream milestones, plus royalties. The Galapagos Group has over 800 employees and operates facilities in seven countries, with global headquarters in Mechelen, Belgium. More info at: www.glpg.com
CONTACT
Elizabeth Goodwin, Director Investor Relations
Tel: +31 6 2291 6240
ir@glpg.com
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