Galapagos Considers Sale of Cell Therapy Unit in Ongoing Strategic Overhaul

Galapagos has reversed its earlier plan to spin out its cell therapy business and is now evaluating strategic alternatives, including a potential sale of the cell therapy unit.123

The company consolidated its cell therapy programs into a subsidiary, Galapagos Cell Therapeutics, and is conducting a strategic review to determine the unit's future.3

Galapagos recently regained global development and commercialization rights for its cell therapies from Gilead Sciences, in exchange for a future royalty tied to any sale or commercialization of the cell therapy assets.3

The move follows changes in regulatory and market conditions that prompted the company to abandon the planned spinout and focus on maximizing value from existing assets through transactions such as mergers, divestitures, or out-licensing.123

Galapagos’s lead cell therapy asset is GLPG5101, which is being developed for mantle cell lymphoma and is scheduled for a pivotal clinical trial in 2026.1

In addition to reevaluating its cell therapy business, Galapagos is actively trimming its pipeline, transferring some small-molecule programs to Onco3R Therapeutics and seeking partnerships for certain assets like the TYK2 inhibitor GLPG3667.3

An update on the outcome of the strategic review of the cell therapy unit is expected in the third quarter of 2025.3

Sources:

1. https://medcitynews.com/2025/05/galapagos-strategic-alternatives-spinco-cell-therapy-cancer-glpg/

2. https://www.biospace.com/business/galapagos-takes-dramatic-u-turn-ditching-spinout-plan-cell-therapy-and-ceo-stoffels

3. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/reunified-galapagos-builds-island-cell-therapies-prep-potential-sale-amid-pipeline-pruning