MARTINSRIED, Germany, Jan. 10, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:MOR) (Prime Standard Segment:TecDAX) and Chemicon International, Inc., a subsidiary of Serologicals Corporation (Nasdaq:SERO) today announced that they have signed a three-year agreement for the distribution of HuCAL(r)-based recombinant research antibodies through Chemicon's worldwide sales network. MorphoSys's Antibodies by Design unit will develop antibodies from its proprietary HuCAL GOLD(r) antibody library against targets identified and supplied by Chemicon, a leading provider of research tools. Chemicon may market the licensed HuCAL(r)-based research antibodies for use in in vitro research as stand-alone products or as components of reagent kits. In addition, Chemicon may also market the antibodies for clinical diagnostic applications. The parties are aiming to complete 100 research antibody projects per year over the three year life time of the agreement. MorphoSys receives payment for antibody generation, optional additional fees, and royalties on all products. Further financial details were not disclosed.
"The MorphoSys HuCAL(r) recombinant antibody technology will allow us to rapidly generate the antibodies our customers are looking for, and shorten our time to market in key target areas," commented Jeffrey D. Linton, President of Chemicon. "We believe that the access to these new antibodies will further strengthen our extremely broad portfolio of antibody and immunological reagents within our targeted strategic market segments."
"Joining forces with Chemicon as a leading provider of tools in active research areas such as stem cell biology is a very attractive opportunity for MorphoSys, and will provide the research community with easy access to HuCAL(r) antibodies through Chemicon's strong distribution network and market presence," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. "The contract supports MorphoSys's goal to introduce a large number of HuCAL(r) research antibodies into the market as quickly as possible, and will continue to add to our revenues over the next couple of years through an attractive royalty stream."
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1028719/164667.pdf
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization. Founded in 1992, the Company's proprietary Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCAL(r)) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing agreements and/or research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (New Jersey/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Merck & Co., Inc. (New Jersey/USA), Novartis AG (Basel, Switzerland), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben, Germany), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany), Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Japan), Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA) and others. Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research market through its Antibodies by Design business unit. Antibodies by Design was founded in 2003 for the purpose of exploiting the MorphoSys non-therapeutic antibody markets. MorphoSys' activities in the research antibody segment were significantly strengthened through the acquisition of the U.K. and U.S.-based Biogenesis Group in January 2005. For further information please visit the corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/.
Statements included in this press release which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the safe harbour provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "expects" and similar expressions. The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the company's future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect future operations and business prospects include, but are not limited to, clinical and scientific results and developments concerning corporate collaborations and the company's proprietary rights and other factors described in the prospectus relating to the company's recent public offering.