21 December 2011 - Belgian Galapagos NV (AMS:GLPG) said on Wednesday it had commenced Phase I development of GLPG0974, the first inhibitor of GPR43, a novel target for inflammatory diseases.

Galapagos added that the target was identified through its target discovery platform.

GlaxoSmithKline (LON:GSK) has decided to return the GPR43 programme to Galapagos, and consequently the Belgian company will not receive a milestone for the start of this study, said Galapagos' CEO Onno van de Stolpe.

Stolpe added that the company had decided to advance the development of GLPG0974 on its own based on promising results of the programme so far.

The first-in-human study with GLPG0974 is designed to provide more information on its pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, using an innovative design for clinical testing specifically intended for early clinical exploration of novel candidate drugs, Galapagos further said.