Galapagos

Therapy Areas

Introduction

Our commitment to inflammation

At Galapagos we believe we can have a meaningful impact on the lives of millions of people who currently live with an inflammatory disease and we are driven to make a difference.

Our commitment to inflammation is rooted in the history of our company. Our approach to drug discovery was modelled on inflammatory diseases because we believe this remains one of the greatest areas of unmet therapeutic need. Our ambitious spirit and desire to bring our medicines to patients, has seen us evolve from a pure discovery company to a European Biotech.

Autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases (AICIDs)  occur when the body’s immune system attacks its own cells and causes an inflammatory response.1,2 Chronic inflammatory diseases are currently estimated to affect one in every 20 people in Western society.3 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) are all examples of inflammatory conditions affecting around 5 million Europeans. 4,5,6

These diseases bear a heavy cost on individuals and their families that are living with the impact of the diseases every day, as well as on healthcare systems and society. For example, a person living with RA may struggle with simple, everyday tasks, such as tying their shoelaces or even combing their hair.7 Similarly, a person living with UC, may severely limit their social life, relationships and their careers out of fear of experiencing symptoms in a public place or with a partner.8


REFERENCES

1. Wang, L., Wang, F. S. & Gershwin, M. E. Human autoimmune diseases: a comprehensive update. J. Intern. Med. 278, 369–395 (2015) 2. Pahwa R, Goyal A, Bansal P, et al. Chronic Inflammation. [Updated 2020 Nov 20]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK493173/ 3. El-Gabalawy H, Guenther LC, Bernstein CN. Epidemiology of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: incidence, prevalence, natural history, and comorbidities. J Rheumatol Suppl. 2010 May;85:2-10. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.091461 4. Burisch J, Jess T, Martinato M, Lakatos PL; ECCO -EpiCom. The burden of inflammatory bowel disease in Europe. J Crohns Colitis. 2013 May; 7(4):322-37 5. Galloway J, Capron JP, De Leonardis F, et al. The impact of disease severity and duration on cost, early retirement and ability to work in rheumatoid arthritis in Europe: an economic modelling study. Rheumatol Adv Pract. 2020;4(2):rkaa041. Published 2020 Sep 16. doi:10.1093/rap/rkaa041 6. Taylor PC, Moore A, Vasilescu R, Alvir J, Tarallo M. A structured literature review of the burden of illness and unmet needs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a current perspective. Rheumatology International. 2016;36(5):685-95 7. Flamant, M., Rigaill, J., Paul, S. and Roblin, X., 2017. Advances in the Development of Janus Kinase Inhibitors in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Future Prospects. Drugs, 77(10), pp.1057-1068 8. Virtanen AT, Haikarainen T, Raivola J, Silvennoinen O. BioDrugs. 2019;33(1):15-32

Overview


Product Information

Discover our product information for rheumatoid arthritis