Charles River Laboratories (CRL) has completed the acquisition of the CRO services division of Galapagos NV, which includes both Argenta and BioFocus, for$179 million in cash. The acquisition, along with CRL’s current capabilities, adds integrated in vitro and in vivo capabilities from target discovery through preclinical development.
 
Argenta and BioFocus, located in the UK and the Netherlands, provide drug discovery services from target discovery through the delivery of clinic-ready candidates. Their in vitro expertise includes medicinal chemistry, target discovery, and complex in vitro biology, as well as therapeutic area expertise in respiratory, inflammation, oncology, and CNS diseases.
 
The acquisition is expected to add approximately 6% to Charles River’s sales in 2014.
 
For the May issue, be on the look out for Contract Pharma’s Newsmakers piece with Charles River’s president and chief executive officer, James C. Foster!