MorphoSys AG / MorphoSys Presents Comprehensive Pipeline and
Technology Update at R&D Day in London Processed and transmitted by
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Multiple Sclerosis Announced as Second Indication for MOR103
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) will present
significant recent developments and provide a full outlook on its
partnered and proprietary drug pipeline as well as a comprehensive
technology update during today's R&D Day to be held in London starting
at 9.30 am GMT. A second event will be held in New York on November
29, 2010 starting at 11.30 am EST. MorphoSys has built one of the
broadest antibody pipelines in the biotechnology industry with 12
clinical projects ongoing and a total of 76 distinct drug programs.
Today's event will be held at Berenberg's offices at 60 Threadneedle
Street, London, EC2R 8HP, UK and can be viewed via webcast at
www.morphosys.com (http://www.morphosys.com) . The New York event will
be held at The W Hotel, 541 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA
and registration is possible at www.morphosys.com/rnd-day2010
(http://www.morphosys.com/rnd-day2010) .
New Announcements at Today's R&D Day include:
… Disclosure of multiple sclerosis as the second indication for the
Company's lead development program MOR103, a fully human HuCAL
antibody targeting GM- CSF. The decision is based on a compelling
scientific rationale and promising pre-clinical data. MorphoSys
expects to start a phase 1b trial in multiple sclerosis with MOR103 in
H2 2011.
… Preclinical data for MOR103 in both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and
multiple sclerosis and an update on imaging/biomarkers used in the
ongoing phase 1b/2a study in RA.
… Preclinical data for MOR202, a HuCAL antibody targeting CD38 to
treat multiple myeloma. A clinical trial application (CTA) to initiate
a phase 1/2a trial with MOR202 in patients with relapsed/refractory
myeloma has been filed in Europe and the Company expects to dose the
first patient in H1 2011.
… An update on MOR208, an Fc-enhanced anti-CD19 antibody to treat
B-cell malignancies. The program was in-licensed from Xencor in June
2010 and is currently in a phase 1 clinical trial in relapsed or
refractory CLL/SLL in the US with patient enrollment expected
imminently.
… An update on the Company's partnered pipeline, comprising now five
partnered projects in phase 2 clinical trials. Roche has started a
phase 2 clinical trial with Gantenerumab, a HuCAL antibody against
amyloid-beta to treat Alzheimer's disease.
… The latest technology developments, such as the recently announced
optimization platform arYla, as well as additional modules for more
efficient selection and screening of antibody libraries.
"MorphoSys has established a significant proprietary product portfolio
and its clinical programs MOR103, MOR202 and MOR208 are on track to
generate lucrative out-licensing opportunities in the years ahead,"
commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development Officer of
MorphoSys. "Our decision to develop MOR103 in a second indication
beyond rheumatoid arthritis, namely multiple sclerosis, is based on a
compelling scientific rationale and promising pre- clinical data and
we are intrigued by its prospects. I'm excited about the progress
we've made in Proprietary Development since I joined MorphoSys two
years ago."
"The commercial opportunity for therapeutic antibodies is enormous. As
we learn more about this class of drugs we are identifying ways of
making antibodies that will be superior to currently available drugs,
and our strategy is to command and apply a range of technologies to
deliver these new therapies." commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief
Scientific Officer of MorphoSys. "MorphoSys has now established a
suite of technologies to enable generation of the best possible
therapeutic antibodies and continues to set industry standards with
its new arYla antibody optimization technology."
MorphoSys will hold a public conference call today at 09:30 GMT (10:30
CET) to give an update on its partnered pipeline, proprietary
portfolio and recent technology developments.
Dial-in number for the Conference Call (listen-only):
Germany: +49 (0) 89 24443 2975
For U.K. residents: +44 (0) 20 3003 2666
For U.S. residents: +1 212 999 6659
Please dial in 10 minutes before the beginning of the conference. In
addition, MorphoSys offers participants the opportunity to follow the
presentation through a simultaneous slide presentation online
athttp://www.morphosys.com.
A live webcast, slides, webcast replay and transcript will be made
available at http://www.morphosys.com (http://www.morphosys.com) .
About MorphoSys: MorphoSys is an independent biotechnology company
that develops novel antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic and
research applications. The Company's HuCAL technology is one of the
most powerful methods available for generating fully human antibodies.
By successfully applying this and other proprietary technologies,
MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies,
one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human health-care. Through
its alliances with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical
companies, MorphoSys has created a pipeline of more than 60 drug
candidates. The Company is expanding its drug pipeline by adding new
partnered programs, and by building a portfolio of fully-owned
therapeutic antibodies. For its proprietary portfolio, the Company is
focused on the areas of oncology and inflammation. Its most advanced
program MOR103, a first-in-class, fully human antibody against GM-
CSF, is currently being tested in a Phase Ib/IIa trial in rheumatoid
arthritis patients. Via its business unit AbD Serotec, MorphoSys is
expanding the reach of its technologies in the diagnostics and
research markets. MorphoSys is headquartered in Munich, Germany and
listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "MOR". For
further information, visithttp://www.morphosys.com/
HuCAL@, HuCAL GOLD@, HuCAL PLATINUM@, CysDisplay@ and RapMAT@ are
registered trademarks of MorphoSys. arYla is a trademark of
MorphoSys.
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements
concerning the MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking
statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of
the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties. Should
actual conditions differ from the Company's assumptions, actual
results and actions may differ from those anticipated. MorphoSys does
not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements as far as
the wording of the relevant press release is concerned.
HUG‥1465353
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MorphoSys AG Lena-Christ-Str. 48 Martinsried / Munchen Germany
WKN: 663200;ISIN: DE0006632003;Index:TecDAX,CDAX,Prime All Share,TECH
All Share,HDAX,MIDCAP; Listed: Freiverkehr in Borse Stuttgart,
Freiverkehr in Hanseatische Wertpapierborse zu Hamburg, Freiverkehr in
Borse Berlin, Freiverkehr in Borse Dusseldorf, Freiverkehr in
Bayerische Borse Munchen, Freiverkehr in Niedersachsische Borse zu
Hannover, Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierborse, Regulierter
Markt in Frankfurter Wertpapierborse;
Press Release (PDF): http://hugin.info/130295/R/1465353/403558.pdf
(http://hugin.info/130295/R/1465353/403558.pdf)
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