The Belgian biotech company Galapagos has won the 2010 EUROPEAN BIOTECHNICA AWARD. Galapagos thus secures the lion's share of the prize money totalling 75,000 euros, which is offered every year in the competition staged by Deutsche Messe AG and its partners. The award celebrates innovative European companies from the biotechnology sector and the life sciences.

Based in Mechelen, Belgium, Galapagos specializes in research and development of antibody and small molecule therapies based on novel modes of action in many different disease areas. The company currently has a product pipeline comprising six clinical, one preclinical and over 50 small molecule pre-clinical programs. "Galapagos shows a remarkable combination of scientific know-how in different fields and business success through cooperations with eight big pharma companies", as pointed out by Prof. Dr. Rolf G. Werner, deputy chair of the international panel of nine experts that judges the competition.

The award was presented in a special ceremony to mark yesterday's opening of BIOTECHNICA by Lower Saxony's Economics Minister Jörg Bode, who shared the platform with Dr. Toralf Haag, Board Member of the Lonza Group AG, Dr. Peter Heinrich, Board spokesman for BIO Deutschland and Board member of EuropaBio, Dr. Maharaj Kishan Bhan, Indian Government Secretary for the Department of Biotechnology, and Stephan Kühne, Board member of Deutsche Messe AG.

Apart from Galapagos the other finalists were the Swiss biotech company Addex Pharmaceuticals and Apeiron Biologics from Austria. The main focus of Addex Pharmaceuticals, which is based in Plan-Les-Ouates near Geneva, is the research and development of therapeutic products for Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, depression and other disorders of the central nervous system.

The biotech company Apeiron Biologics, based in Vienna, concentrates on the clinical development of an enzyme biotherapy for acute respiratory distress. The company is also engaged in establishing a product portfolio around the development of biological and immunological cancer treatments.

The winner Galapagos receives a cash prize amounting to 30,000 euros, while a further 45,000 euros in non-cash prizes went to all three finalists. The non-cash prizes comprise free strategy and investment consultancy services provided by Capgemini Consulting and a media service packages facilitated by the European Biotechnology News. Finally, all three companies will have the opportunity to stage a presentation from 5-7 October at BIOTECHNICA in Hall 9, Stand C35.

Information about the terms of participation in the competition as well as previous prize-winners over the years can be found online at www.biotechnica.de/award_e.