MARTINSRIED / MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX, OTC: MPSYY) announced today that it has received a milestone payment from Novartis in connection with the clinical trial application (CTA/IND) and projected initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial. The HuCAL-derived, fully human antibody will be developed in the therapeutic area of inflammatory diseases.
"Today's news marks the first clinical milestone from our collaborations with pharma and biotech companies that we expect to see during the course of the year," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. "In total, our collaboration with Novartis has resulted in eight clinical antibodies to date, three currently being in Phase 1 development, four in Phase 2 and one in a pivotal trial."
MorphoSys's partnered and proprietary clinical pipeline currently comprises 20 unique antibody molecules, which are being evaluated in more than 40 clinical trials.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare.
Together with its pharmaceutical partners, MorphoSys has built a therapeutic pipeline of more than 80 human antibody drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few. With its ongoing commitment to new antibody technology and drug development, MorphoSys is focused on making the healthcare products of tomorrow. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit http://www.morphosys.com
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay®, RapMAT®, arYla® and Ylanthia® and 100 billion high potentials® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG.
Slonomics® is a registered trademark of Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, a subsidiary of MorphoSys AG.
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.
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
Head of Corporate Communications & IR
Mario Brkulj
Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR
Alexandra Goller
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Jessica Rush
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404
investors@morphosys.com
Media Release http://hugin.info/130295/R/1762133/596814.pdf
HUG#1762133