MARTINSRIED / MUNICH, Germany, Sept. 19, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dutch biopharmaceutical company Lanthio Pharma B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC: MPSYY), today announced the appointment of Axel Mescheder, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).
Dr. Heinz Schwer, Chief Executive Officer of Lanthio Pharma, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome Axel Mescheder at Lanthio Pharma where he will take a key role in the Company's management. We got to know him as an excellent clinical physician and experienced R&D manager and we are sure that he will further strengthen and complement our management team. Axel's main focus will be the development of Lanthio Pharma's lanthipeptide portfolio, in particular the preparation and subsequent execution of the clinical development of MOR107."
Dr. Mescheder has more than 20 years of experience in R&D management positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He has demonstrated the ability to successfully develop, implement and drive clinical development programs and has a track record of advancing a number of compounds through the various clinical phases that lead to product registration or label extensions, either in Europe or in the US. He joins Lanthio Pharma from Medpace GmbH, Munich/Germany, where he acted as Vice President Medical & Regulatory Affairs Europe. Prior to that, he held the positions of Chief Medical and Development Officer at TopoTarget A/S, Copenhagen/Denmark, and Medigene AG, Munich/Germany. From 2001 to 2003 he worked at MorphoSys AG as a Medical Director. Prior to that, Dr. Mescheder held various management positions in research and development at Genetics Institute/Wyeth-Ayerst Research (Pfizer), Centeon (CSL Behring) and Hoffmann-La Roche.
About Lanthio Pharma
Lanthio Pharma B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of MophoSys AG since 2015, is a Dutch biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutic peptides to activate difficult to target receptors (e.g. GPCRs). With its proprietary technology, the Company is generating lanthipeptides, a new class of molecules markedly enhanced for stability and selectivity. Lanthio Pharma is focused on the protective arm of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) for which the therapeutic potential has been proven but not yet turned into therapeutic benefit. Lanthio Pharma has currently two programs targeting the two key receptors in this pathway. The lead product, MOR107 (formerly LP2), is a selective AT2 receptor agonist in development for Diabetic Nephropathy, with possible further applications in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic diseases. MOR107 is currently in preclinical development and expected to enter clinical development in the forthcoming months.
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 100 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®, Ylanthia®, 100 billion high potentials®, Slonomics®, Lanthio Pharma® and LanthioPep® are registered trademarks of the MorphoSys Group.
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
Jochen Orlowski
Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR
Alexandra Goller
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404
investors@morphosys.com
Media Release http://hugin.info/130295/R/2042724/762513.pdf