Martinsried/Munich and Gatersleben (Germany) July 14, 2004
MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) and Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben, Germany) today announced the signing of a collaboration for the development of therapeutic antibodies in animal health applications. Under the three-year agreement Novoplant received a license from MorphoSys for the development and commercialization of therapeutic antibodies as feed components for use in veterinary medicine. Novoplant will pay a technology access fee to MorphoSys for the utilization of the HuCAL GOLD® technology in addition to annual licensing fees. Additionally, MorphoSys receives milestone fees and royalties for the subsequent development and marketing of any resulting products.In the context of the cooperation, Novoplant will use MorphoSys’ HuCAL GOLD® technology to generate antibodies against viruses, parasites and pathogenic microorganisms such as E. coli or Salmonella. The addition of such MorphoSys antibodies to animal feed stock intended for poultry, pigs or cattle, may offer protection against infectious diseases in the respective animal’s gastro-intestinal tract. MorphoSys retains all rights in any human therapeutics or diagnostics emerging from the collaboration.
“Novoplant is pursuing a fascinating technology from the initial approach to its actual use,” comments Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. “The use of the HuCAL® technology in veterinary medicine is proof of the power of the technology and demonstrates the continually widening range of possible applications.”
“MorphoSys´ HuCAL® technology has been widely used and thus validated in the biopharmaceutical industry and is therefore an important technology asset for our company,” says Dr. Dieter Falkenburg, coCEO and Chief Business Officer of Novoplant. “This technology will allow the rapid expansion of our innovative product pipeline for the feed and veterinary industry. “